A Feudal Tale
by MagicMan01
Summary: After being apart from Inuyasha for three years to complete high school, Kagome can finally live with him in Japan's feudal past and settle down to have a normal life. But are all of their troubles really over? Rated M for some language, violence, and sexuality later on.
1. Lingering in the Past

**Okay, I'll give you all a little warning right now: at this point in time, I have only read a few manga volumes of Inuyasha and haven't seen a single full episode of the series, but I think I know how the whole thing goes. If I'm off-base in any way (which I'm sure I probably will be) PLEASE tell me in your reviews! No flaming, but just let me know. It'll help us all. ;)**

**Another important caviar; this first chapter takes place at the end of the anime series and spans three years in time after Inuyasha leaves Kagome to complete school, meaning it takes place in her world (the present) from about 1996-1999 and in his world (the past) from about 1496-1499, since it's roughly five hundred years in the past in feudal Japan. And I'm sorry if this first chapter may seem a little depressing at first, but trust me, there's a happy ending to it! Just stick with it and you'll get through alive. XD**

**That's pretty much it, so now we can get past the disclaimer notice and on to the good stuff! Enjoy and please review at the end!**

**-Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha (or InuYasha, however you like to spell it) in any way. If I did, I would be the most successful manga writer in Japan (i.e. Rumiko Takahashi).**

* * *

**Chapter 1- Lingering in the Past**

"Inuyasha, please don't go!" Kagome cried as she stood in her backyard, wrapping her arms around Inuyahsa's broad chest and burying her face in his red kimono."Stay here with me! Please, I need you!"

"Kagome-" Inuyasha started as he moved his hands to her back, trying his best to comfort her.

"You can't leave me! I _need _you here!" she cut him off, raising her voice as she looked into his amber eyes with her brown ones, now wet with tears.

Inuyasha had taken her home to her own time after spending quite a few days together in Japan's past. He didn't want to just drop her off and leave her here, but he knew that if he took her back with him now, she would never want to return home to finish her studies in her "high school", as she often called it. He wanted nothing more than to take her home with him and get married, but he couldn't be impulsive about this. Her future outweighed his desires a million to one and he wasn't about to screw this up for either of them, _especially_ her.

"Look, Kagome," he said in as much of a soothing voice that he could muster as he held her tightly in his strong arms, "I don't want to leave you here either. But you and I both know you need to finish school before you can be with me."

"But I'll be away from you for _three years!_" she exclaimed. "I can't go through with that!"

It was kind of funny how he was usually the one who didn't want her to leave so she could stay with him in the past, battling demons and humans alike to recover the Shikon Jewel shards. Now _she _was the one begging _him _to stay.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy," he assured her. "In fact, it's probably going to be one of the hardest things you've ever done. But you're a strong woman, Kagome. You'll get through it. The day you finish high school, I'll be waiting for you here in your shrine."

"I just… I just want to be with you, Inuyasha," she stuttered as she tried to control herself through her tears. "I don't want you to go."

"Hey, look at me," he said gently as he put his clawed fingers under Kagome's chin to slowly lift her head up to look into his eyes. "No matter where I am, no matter what I'm doing, I'll always be with you. _Always. _You know that."

"I just wish you could stay here with me here in the present," she calmed down a little. "Then we could _truly _be together."

He sighed. "I do too, Kagome." He slid his index finger along her cheek to wipe away her tears. "Believe me, if I wasn't needed in the village and if there were any other way, I'd be here with you every second."

She could tell he was being sincere, but it still wasn't enough. She needed him around.

"Will you come visit me?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course I will," he assured her as he brushed her dark bangs out of her beautiful eyes.

She softly released the breath she didn't know she was holding in. At least he would still come visit her. But how much?

"How often, do you think?" she inquired.

He thought about it for a moment. "How about once every month?" he suggested. "That way I won't be distracting you from your work too much but I'll be around often enough for you to know I haven't forgotten about you. That sound fair?"

Kagome sighed. This really wasn't what she wanted to do, but she supposed it was a fair compromise. After all, seeing the man she loved once a month for the next three years was better than not seeing him at all. "Yes."

"I know it's not what either of us want, but it's the best I can offer."

"I know," Kagome sighed. "You _promise_ to visit me every month?"

"I promise," he said sincerely. "I'm not backing out of this."

"Okay," she breathed, feeling a little relieved. She suddenly looked up at Inuyasha, gazing into his deep, mysterious golden eyes she had fallen in love with the day she realized they were meant to be together. There was just one last thing she wanted to do before he left her to return to feudal Japan. "Can you at least stay with me until the sun sets?"

He gave her one of his loving smiles as he held her tightly in place, leaning in to kiss her. His warm lips set against hers as her grip on his collar tightened and her lips returned the kiss. They stood there for a full minute with their lips locked in deep affection until he pulled apart for breath to open his eyes and look at her. "You know it."

She smiled and took a step back to offer him her hand, which he gladly took as she led him to a large tree in her backyard. They walked hand in hand to the tree until they reached the trunk, which was cast in a large shadow from the thick branches and leaves above. It was the perfect spot to watch the sun set below the horizon.

He sat down first and propped himself up against the tree as she sat in his lap and reclined against his body. She leaned her head back against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her even closer to him and moved his head forward until it rested comfortably on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. Without moving too much to disturb her, he undid the string which held his scabbard in place and removed it, setting it against the trunk of the tree next to him.

She sighed and smiled as she watched the sun slowly disappear behind the mountains off in the distance, not wanting the moment to ever end. The brightly colored sky fit the scene just right. They had sometimes watched sunsets during their adventures together, but never like this.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah, it is," the _hanyou_ replied. Before meeting Kagome, he could have really cared less about nature and all of its beauty and many wonders. In the many months which spanned their quest to retrieve the jewel shards, however, she had taught him to appreciate and even come to care for all that planet Earth had to offer. Now that he looked at the sunset, something he'd always regarded as simple and just another shift in the sky, he now realized just what a beautiful sight it really was. It was even better with Kagome in his arms in the shade of a tree, all alone.

The tree's shadow slowly faded away with the last rays of the sun as it finally left their view to make way for the moon. Inuyasha knew he said he would only stay with Kagome to watch the sunset, but his heart told him to stay just a little bit longer. After all, it wasn't like they had anywhere to be tonight, and a few extra minutes (or hours) certainly wouldn't kill them.

As it turned out, Inuyasha and Kagome sat with each other under the tree for the next two hours, gazing up at the night sky and watching the stars come into view. When the skyline was full, they took turns making out shapes and constellations, laughing and enjoying themselves as they did so. It went by too fast for either of them, and Inuyasha was reluctant to release his grip on Kagome's waist to stand up when he came back to reality.

She knew what he was doing and sighed as she got to her feet to allow him to get up. Bending down to get his scabbard for him and picking it up, she offered it to him in her with outstretched hands. It didn't weigh very much, but it suddenly felt very heavy. He accepted it with a bittersweet smile and thanked her genuinely.

"Thanks," he tied the string around his belt. He took Kagome's hand in his and slowly walked with her back to the wellhouse. Their soft footfalls fell into place as they evened up with each other, not wanting to return to the inevitable gate to the past. No matter how slow they walked, though, they would eventually get to their destination some time. Reaching it after what seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes, Inuyasha turned to face his lover and gazed deeply into her eyes, taking her hands in his.

"I'll miss you," he said as he gazed at her.

"I'll miss you, too," she replied, putting a hand to his cheek to stroke it lovingly.

He shivered at the simple action of her touch and she felt it too, making her smile. "Sorry," he apologized for no good reason.

"Don't be," she assured him. "It just means you love me." She continued stroking his cheek for several more minutes as he just stood there and bathed in the pleasure she was giving him. It wasn't the first time a woman had touched his face, but it was certainly the first time it had made him feel this good.

At some point, he gently took hold of her hand with his own and kissed it, then leaned in to kiss her on the lips. He wrapped his arms tightly around Kagome's slim torso as she wrapped her arms around his neck, not breaking the kiss. He tilted his head a little to deepen the kiss and decided to take it just one step further. He pushed his tongue to her lips, licking them in a feral manner and making her sigh with pleasure.

She eventually caught on to what he was doing and she parted her lips, allowing his moist tongue to enter her mouth and explore every region. Her hands subconsciously moved to his thick, white hair as she ran her fingers through it, enjoying its incredible softness. His tongue rubbed against hers and she responded with reciprocation. He assaulted her tongue once more and she fought back, deepening the kiss they didn't want to break for any reason.

However, like all things, it had to end, and they reluctantly pulled back from each other for breath. Standing in each other's arms, they let their hot breath bounce off of their faces as they admired each other's beautiful features. Inuyasha drew circles into Kagome's cheek with his thumb as he spoke to her.

"I have to go now," he leaned in so his forehead was resting against hers. "I'll see you next month, okay?"

"Yeah. See you, too."

"Promise you'll try to do well in school?"

"Yeah, I promise." She couldn't guarantee that her math scores would be great, since it was her worst subject, but she would try. She would do it for him.

"Okay."

He leaned in for a final kiss before he let go of her and walked down the wooden steps of the wellhouse to the actual well itself. The old wooden floorboards creaked under his bare feet as he walked. Stepping up to stand at the well's edge, he turned to face Kagome to say one last goodbye.

"I love you, Kagome," he smiled.

She mirrored him, smiling as well. "Love you, too, Inuysaha."

With their goodbyes all said, Inuyasha nodded his head and turned to the hole before him. He really didn't want to go back home, but didn't have much of a choice. He was doing this not only for Kagome, but for him as well. He reminded himself of this as he prepared to jump down the well. He squatted down, drew in a breath, and pushed himself over the edge.

Kagome ran over to the well to wave goodbye as she saw Inuyasha's form disappear down the dark hole.

"I love you, Inuyasha," she whispered, meaning every word of it. "So much."

* * *

The next three years felt like the hardest years of Kagome's life. Not even being fifteen and helping recover all the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls could compare to this. As if the workload of grades 10-12 weren't bad enough, she didn't have Inuyasha's love or witty remarks to help her through any of it. Not even her family could substitute his absence, much as they tried.

Of course, he kept up his end of the bargain and came to her house once every month to visit her. Some days they talked until midnight, some days they just kissed and didn't say a single word to each other, and others Inuyasha ate dinner with Kagome and the Higurashis and talked to them about his life in Japan's past.

However, it was always a little awkward, what with Grandpa Higurashi always staring Inuyasha down at the dinner table and never speaking a word to him. Kagome didn't really care for what her grandfather thought of Inuyasha, though. She knew Inuyasha probably hadn't made a great first appearance when he accidentally caused mischief within the shrine grounds and may not have been the friendliest person in the world, but she knew his true side, even if Grandpa had never seen it.

But the hardest part was always saying goodbye to him. She knew very well that he would be back the next month for another visit, but it just wasn't the same without him constantly near her to give her the comfort and compassion she needed. Some nights, she even cried herself to sleep, wishing in her mind that she was in feudal-era Japan getting married with Inuyasha.

Though she didn't realize it at first, the three years of her high school life slipped by much faster than she thought they would. She was worrying less about Inuyasha and kept herself occupied with other things, like her schoolwork or friends, whom she had more time to spend with now that she had no more adventures to take part in. Her attendance record and scores improved drastically; she was even proficient in math! She somehow worked out a schedule to spend enough time daily with her mother, grandfather, Sota, and even Buyo.

* * *

Inuyasha, on the other hand, wasn't able to cope to the long-distance relationship as well as his lover. He thought it was ironic how he told her to be strong for him while he was gone, and yet here he was feeling depressed and on the verge of tears. Kaede, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Myoga, and even Kirara often came by to visit him, as they were all concerned for his well-being. Seeing as how he often physically strained himself working in the village and returned home late at night without saying much to anyone definitely got their attention as odd.

Even his trademark humor and sarcasm was absent when they talked to him. In fact, he barely talked to them at all. It wasn't like he was trying to brush them off, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get his mind off of Kagome. She was so far away from him and he just wanted to take her in his arms and hold her forever.

The once-a-month visits weren't nearly enough. Every time he went through the well to see her, he fought back his urges to stay there for weeks on end. It killed his heart every time he told her he'd see her next month before he kissed her goodbye and jumped through to the past. He honestly didn't know how he would manage the three-year span without her constantly by his side.

* * *

Somehow, though, they both survived three years apart from each other. Perhaps it was their knowing they would see each other again that got them through it. Perhaps they kept themselves busy with other things to avoid constantly focusing on their significant other. Perhaps… it was just love.

* * *

Graduation day came before Kagome even knew it and she couldn't have been happier. She graduated in the top ten of her class with proficient scores in every subject, impressing her teachers, friends, and family alike. Her mother wasespecially proud of her daughter's success in math.

Kagome really couldn't ask for more; she constantly talked, gossiped, and laughed with her friends, she had a family who loved her, she was one of the best students in her class, she had a nice home to go to every night, and she was happy with her life in general. But there was just one thing missing. Something that had been away from her for so long now. Something that was possibly the closest thing to her heart that she wanted so much. Some_one_, more specifically: Inuyasha.

Kagome had been so busy with life these past three years that she'd hardly even thought about the half-demon until he came to visit her. She felt horrible and selfish for her thoughts, and though it wasn't really her fault she had to go to school, she still wished she had argued with him and forced him to take her to the past where she could be his wife. But the only time period she could travel back to was five hundred years in the past, not three.

Sighing to herself as she now walked home to her shrine from her last day of high school (and school forever, really), she considered all of this with each step she took along the sidewalk. Considering the fact that she wouldn't be going to college in the past, there was really no more need for further education. It wasn't as if it had all been for nothing; after all, who would want to be made fun of the rest of their lives for never even graduating high school? Certainly not her!

Kagome walked up the steps to her shrine and got to the door of her house. Putting aside all thoughts of everything unpleasant in her life, she put on a smile and opened the door. When it fully swung open, she was nearly given a heart attack at the age of eighteen by what awaited her inside.

"CONGRATULATIONS, KAGOME!" her family exclaimed. Kagome took a step backwards in surprise and caught herself on the door as she nearly tumbled outside. She knew they were only trying to help her celebrate her last day of high school, but did they really have to surprise her right as she came through the door?! Righting herself and catching her breath, she kept a smile for her mother, grandfather, and younger brother.

"Oh, thank you!" she said genuinely. "You guys shouldn't have."

"Well, it was all your brother's idea!" Mrs. Higurashi said to her daughter, wrapping an arm around her son's shoulder.

"Mom!" Sota's face flushed with embarrassment as he looked up at his mother.

"I'm just telling her the truth, honey!" she said with a smile.

"Well, thank you for the warm welcome," Kagome thanked her family.

"Hey, it's not every day you graduate high school!" Grandpa Higurashi grinned. "And in the top ten of your class, too!"

"With high marks in everything, even _math_!" Mrs. Higurashi added.

"Really, thank you, guys!" Kagome thanked her family. "This is a really nice surprise to come home to!"

"Oh, anything for you, dear!" her mother beamed. "You have no idea how hard it was to plan this out without you knowing it, though!"

"Well, I appreciate the effort!" Kagome laughed.

Everything was going so well today! Well, it _was_, until Grandpa said the one thing that instantly killed the mood of the entire household.

"Maybe you'll settle down with that nice boy Hojo, eh?" he smiled.

He received horrified looks from the three younger people in the room.

"Grandpa!" Kagome exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment. And not the good kind, either.

"Dad! Come on! She just came home from graduation day and now you're suggesting grandchildren with a friend?" Mrs. Higurashi glared at her father.

"Well, who else would she have children with? That scoundrel, Inuyasha?!" he shot back.

"Grandpa, what's gotten into you?" Kagome asked, angry at the insult towards her lover. "You _know _how I feel about him! Hojo's just a friend. That's all!"

"Um, I should probably leave…" Sota muttered as he walked up to his room. He really didn't want to be a part of this argument.

Kagome was furious. She hadn't even been in her house for five minutes after graduation day and her grandfather was already suggesting having children with _Hojo_?! What the hell had gotten into him? She knew he didn't care very much for Inuyasha, but _insulting_ him had taken it one step too far.

"What, you're actually _planning_ to have children with that creep?! He can't even handle a vase, let alone a teenage girl!" Grandpa Higurashi yelled towards his grandchild.

What would his granddaughter's children even look like with a guy like Inuyasha? Half-human kids who also looked like dogs?! The idea didn't sit very well with him in his mind. Kagome, on the other hand, was able to voice her thoughts just fine.

"I'm not _planning _to have children with him right now, Grandpa!" she shouted. "I'm _going _to get married to him and yes, we _will_ have children, but in a few years! Why can't you just see him for the nice guy he really is? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE HAPPY FOR ME FOR ONCE?!"

Tears flowed down Kagome's cheeks as she ran as fast as she could out of the living room and up the steps to the second floor.

"Kagome…" her mother called to her daughter fruitlessly.

Kagome heard her, but she didn't want to talk right now. Shutting her door quite roughly, she threw herself down on her bed and cried into her pillow. She cried into her pillow for what seemed like hours as she gripped the edges tight and let her emotions spill out onto the soft material, staining the white surface with her salty tears.

She was still crying when her mother lightly knocked on her door. "Kagome? Sweetie, can I come in? I just want to talk for a minute, okay?"

Kagome sniffled a bit as she sat up slowly and dried her tears off with her shirt sleeve. Her mother had _defended _her during that argument minutes ago, so why _shouldn't_ she let her in? After all, her mother _had _told her on numerous occasions that her daughter and Inuyasha made a great couple, which usually made Kagome blush but also made her feel good inside at the same time.

"Yeah," Kagome said in somewhat of a hoarse voice.

Mrs. Higurashi slowly opened the door and shut it behind her as she stepped into her daughter's room.

"Is it okay with you if I sit on your bed?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, that's fine," Kagome answered.

No sooner had her mother sat on the edge of her bed than had Kagome flung herself into her arms, hugging her tightly and shedding fresh tears.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Kagome. It's okay," Mrs. Higurashi soothed her daughter as she gently rocked her in her arms like she'd done when she was younger and was unable to fall asleep on her own. Her daughter let out the rest of her tears until she could cry no more and caught her breath as she sat in her mother's arms, feeling like a little kid again. She slowly looked up at her mother, who wiped her tears away and ran a hand through her daughter's dark hair, successfully calming her down.

"Feel a little better now?" her mother asked.

"I guess so," Kagome sniffed. "I just don't understand why Grandpa acted like that as soon as I came through the door!"

Her mother sighed, remembering the short-lived argument. "Honey, what your grandfather said to you was horrible, and I'm _definitely _going to have a talk with him later on dealing with how he should respect his granddaughter's feelings! Honestly, talking about having children with another man!"

Kagome nodded her head in satisfaction as she released her grip on her mother and sat back on her bed.

"Well, we _were _going to have a celebration for you here in the house, but that plan's pretty much scrapped now," Mrs. Higurashi sighed.

"Maybe we can do it another time," Kagome suggested. "I mean, we don't _have _to have it today."

"You're right," Kagome's mother agreed. "It's your graduation, after all, and I don't want to rush things."

Kagome's mother had a bit of a distant look on her face and Kagome wondered what was on her mind that had her apparently so deep in thought.

"What is it, Mom?" she asked.

"Well, I came up here to apologize to you for that argument with your grandfather, but there was something else as well…" she trailed off.

Kagome suddenly realized that her mother was keeping a surprise hidden from her. She'd seen that look on her mother's face countless times when she was keeping something from her, usually on a birthday.

"What was it?" Mrs. Higurashi tapped her finger on her chin and looked up at the ceiling as if trying to remember something. "I know what it is, but I just can't seem to remember! It must be this old age…"

"Come on, Mom. You know I can tell when you're trying to keep something from me and you're a horrible liar," Kagome smirked.

"Oh, all right, all right. You got me," her mother held her hands up in defeat. "I really came into your room to tell you that someone's waiting for you in the wellhouse."

"Mom! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Kagome exclaimed a little angrily as she sat up. However, this was quickly replaced by laughter on both ends in the room. She knew her mother was only trying to have some fun with her by waiting to tell her now.

"Really, I'm telling you the truth!" Mrs. Higurashi said as she left Kagome's room and walked downstairs. "You should go see who it is. I think it's one of your classmates, actually."

But Kagome knew who it really was, no matter how good or bad of a deceiver her mother was. She laughed with joy as she ran out of her room, down the steps and out of the house to get to the wellhouse. She stopped just as her feet touched the ground when she looked up to see who the "someone" was and gasped when she saw his face she knew all too well.

_He really came_, she thought. He looked up at her with his amber eyes, which were slightly obscured by his white bangs, and smiled at her.

"Long time, no see, eh, Kagome?" he waved to her with his clawed fingers that only _he _would have.

Kagome smiled and took a step forward, then another, and another, and started to pick up speed as she got nearer to him. Finally, she could take it no longer and successfully closed the distance between them by jumping into his arms. She laughed when she saw the shocked expression on his face as he just barely caught her.

"Damn! If you're going to hug me like that all the time, I should probably gain some extra muscle!" he joked with her. She just kept laughing as she ran her fingers through his soft, thick hair, taking in every inch of his handsome face. She allowed one hand to tangle in his hair while her other stroked his face. He held her tightly and admired her face as well.

Kagome stood up a little straighter to kiss Inuyasha, and he leaned in to assist her. Their lips met halfway and they kissed passionately in front of the wellhouse. For several minutes, all they did was just embrace and trade lips as they enjoyed their time together.

As they pulled apart for air, Kagome ran her hands through Inuyasha's hair while Inuyasha stroked Kagome's face with one hand and rubbed her hip with the other. She sighed with both pleasure and relief, now knowing that she would be free to spend as much time with Inuyasha as she wanted and would never have to be separated from him like that ever again.

"I missed you so much," she said as she looked affectionately into his eyes.

"Missed you, too, Kagome," he replied.

And they both meant it. They could now go back to the past, get married, even have children down the road. No matter what they did, they would never have to be apart from each other for long.

"You wanna go back to the village?" Inuyasha offered. "It's just a trip down a well away."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah. Just let me get some stuff and say goodbye to my family, okay?"

"Okay. I'll be in the wellhouse when you're done," he said as he pulled away to go back into the wellhouse to wait for his soon-to-be-wife.

Kagome waved to him as she went back into her house to go upstairs and pack.

* * *

Her farewells to her family didn't take very long, considering it was just her mother and Sota (her grandfather was venting in his room). Unlike most other times, Kagome was able to fit everything she needed into a regular-sized backpack and could carry it by herself without any problems. She set it down near Inuyasha as she walked over to her mother and brother to say goodbye. When she hugged her mother first, Mrs. Higurashi immediately started crying.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, nothing," her mother said in between tears. "It's just that my little girl's all grown up now. You'll understand when you're a mother someday. Be good for me, okay?"

"Yes, Mom!" Kagome rolled her eyes and chuckled, then her expression became a little more serious. "Um, do you want to say goodbye to Inuyasha?"

"Of course! He's my son-in-law, after all!" she said as she looked over at him.

The_ hanyou_ came forward behind Kagome and accepted his mother-in-law's open arms as they hugged. Kagome walked over to Sota and knelt down.

"Be good, okay, Sota?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sis, I got it," he said.

"You're the man of the house now, all right? Help Mom out whenever she needs it."

"Man of the house? But I'm only twelve! What about Grandpa?"

"He might need some help," she rolled her eyes.

"Will you come back, Kagome?" he looked up at her.

"Hopefully, Sota. I'm pretty sure Inuyasha and I can both just jump through the well to go back and forth in time, but I don't know for sure. We'll see."

Kagome hugged her little brother and he hugged her back. Letting go of him after a few moments, Kagome stood up and looked over at Inuyasha, who was having something whispered into his dog-like ears by her mother. After Mrs. Higurashi was finished with her secret, she gave her son-in-law one last hug and returned him to her daughter.

Inuyasha blushed as he looked over at Kagome. She bit back a chuckle to avoid embarrassing him any further. Whatever her mother said to him had obviously made him feel a little uncomfortable, so she made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Inuyasha bent down to talk to Sota, who basically considered the _hanyou _be a hero and a role model. He ruffled the younger boy's hair as he spoke to him.

"Well, see you soon, Sota," he smiled. "It was fun having all our adventures together."

"Will you still visit every once in a while to play, Inuyasha?" Sota looked up at Inuyasha hopefully.

Inuyasha had to think about his answer carefully. After all, he didn't want to make a promise to Sota and not be able to keep it later on, but he didn't want to upset the boy, either. "Tell you what. I'll come over as often as I can, and every time I do, we'll play together. How does that suit you?"

"That's okay, I guess," Sota said a little half-heartedly.

"Hey, look!" Inuyasha added quickly. "I'll stop by whenever I can and we can play for as long as you like. Your games, your rules, all that. Whatever you want to do, we'll do it."

"All right," Sota cheered up a bit.

"See? I knew I could cheer you up! I'll see you around, Sota," Inuyasha said fondly as he gave the boy a goodbye hug.

"See you, too, Inuyasha," Sota said as well as he returned the hug. For as well as they knew each other, they may as well have been brothers.

Inuyasha released Sota and got to his feet as he looked in Kagome's direction. "You ready, Kagome?" he asked. Years ago, she would have just thought Inuyasha was sucking up to her to get on her good side and avoid being sat by her, but she learned a while ago that he really could be sweet when he wanted to.

"Yeah," she said.

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand after she put her backpack on and walked to the wellhouse with her. She looked over her shoulder and waved to her family. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Sota!"

"Bye!" they both said in unison.

Inuyasha and Kagome creaked down the wooden steps as they came upon the Bone-Eater's Well that had been here for centuries. Of course, Kagome always used to believe it was a myth, but ever since the day of her fifteenth birthday when she was pulled down it by Mistress Centipede, she realized it was _very _much real.

Both lovers looked into each other's eyes as they stepped up to stand at the edge of the well and shared a kiss before they prepared to jump down. Inuyasha stepped down first and Kagome followed. The familiar sensation of the wind and the ground rushing up to meet her absorbed her body as she held onto Inuyasha's hand and entered the past in a flash of light and swirling colors. Even after the many times she'd done this, it still never got old.

* * *

**Chapter one: complete! How did you guys like it? Good? Bad? Too short? Too long? Please feel free to tell me via reviews! Also, I may occasionally have a vocab section after some chapters that contain use of the Japanese language, terms, or other good stuff (like this one). Thank you for beginning this fic and I hope I see you all until the very end!**

* * *

**Japanese vocab:**

_**hanyou-**_** A half-demon (i.e. Inuyasha) :)**


	2. Adjustments

**Now that Kagome's in the past, let's see how she'll adjust to her new life as a village priestess (and Inuyasha's wife, eventually, but that's in another few chapters). A bit of violence here, but nothing horribly graphic.**

* * *

**Chapter 2- Adjustments**

Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open as the first rays of the early morning sun crept through her and Inuyasha's hut. She took her time sitting up and covered her forehead with her arm as her eyes adjusted to the light. She fully sat up and yawned, stretching out her limbs and muscles as she glanced to her side at Inuyasha.

She smiled when she saw his peaceful form lying on its side, lightly snoring. She let him be for a few more minutes, just sitting there and watching him sleep as the sun came up. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him sleep. The very first time had probably been when he came to visit her shrine right after they had met. She didn't know why, but watching him sleep was something she could do for hours on end.

When their hut was bathed in sunlight, Kagome reached a hand to Inuyasha's face to stroke it and wake him up. His breathing slowed down and his golden eyes slowly opened as his dog-like ears twitched a bit. He yawned and smiled at Kagome, who was sitting right next to him. He reached over to stroke her face as well and she smiled back at him.

Inuyasha sat up a little and leaned in to kiss her. She responded by placing her lips upon his and she kissed him back. Pulling back for air a few moments later, he continued stroking her cheek while speaking to her.

"Morning," he greeted her.

"Good morning, Inuyasha," Kagome greeted him back.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" he asked.

"Yeah, I fell asleep pretty fast."

"That kimono fit you okay?" he pointed to the one she was wearing.

"It's perfect," she smiled.

"Well, that's good to hear."

Kagome had set her present-day clothes in the corner of the hut and changed into the white kimono Inuyasha had offered her that was popular with priestesses in the Warring States Era of the fifteenth century. It was a little big, but otherwise pretty comfortable and she wanted to fit in with everyone else in the village. After all, it was strange enough for a mortal woman to be marrying a half-demon, but wearing clothing from five hundred years in the future would probably strike most of the villagers as just flat-out weird!

But it wasn't like she cared about what other people thought about her and Inuyasha. He loved her and she loved him, and that was all that mattered. Kagome didn't care if it wasn't "normal" for a human and a half-demon to be in love with each other. It had taken her long enough to fall for him (and vice versa) three years ago and they'd been through too much already for the two of them to be broken up just by simple opinions of ignorant people.

Not only that, but she really had to warm up to him to get him to like her in the first place. The first time they met, he had hardly wanted to look in her direction, much less be near her. She reminded him too much of Kikyo, whom he originally thought had betrayed and pinned him to the tree for fifty years so she could keep the Shikon Jewel for herself.

But after he discovered Naraku had taken their forms and made them turn on each other, he quickly realized just how much he needed Kagome. Over time, their relationship gradually grew from jewel seekers to acquaintances to friends to a steady couple to, eventually, spouses. Through battles with humans and demons alike, near-death situations, misunderstandings, emotional drama, and separation in time, they eventually made it through all the turmoil in their lives, and neither one of them would have changed it to be any other way.

Inuyasha's soft voice pulled Kagome out of her trance. "Not that I really want to get out of bed," he sighed with sleepy grogginess, "but we should probably start the day."

"Oh, yeah," Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should."

"I'll show you around the village a bit, if you like," Inuyasha offered.

"Of course," Kagome took his offer. "I'd love to. Maybe we can even stop by Miroku and Sango's place and visit them and their kids."

"Sure, if we have some spare time," Inuyahsa nodded in agreement. "I mean, we've got some work to do, but I'm sure we can squeeze that in."

Kagome offered him a hand, which he took as she helped him to his feet. Inuyasha rose to his full height and looked down at Kagome to give her a quick kiss before they left. She returned the kiss and took his hand in hers as they left their hut.

* * *

As promised, Inuyasha showed Kagome around Edo, which was, conveniently, only a few minutes' walk away from their home. He showed her the shops, markets, houses, and other areas of interest around the village. They even stopped by Kaede's hut for a brief visit before they started their day's work.

"Ah, Lady Kagome," she greeted. "How are ye adapting to your new life?"

"Well, I just got here last night, but so far, so good," Kagome replied genuinely.

"And how have ye been feeling lately, Inuyasha?" Kaede glanced at him.

She hadn't forgotten how distraught he had been when he was separated from Kagome, and she honestly had thought him out to be on the verge of suicide.

"Fine," he replied with a smile. "And you, Kaede?" (Usually, he would have just addressed her as "old hag" or "wench", but he was in a better mood now that he was certain of his future with Kagome).

"Just fine," she responded as she looked between the couple. "I be glad to see ye two are finally getting along."

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other and both blushed a little. Kaede chuckled when she saw their cheeks darkening in the early morning light. "Ye should probably run along now," she motioned her hand towards the door.

"Yeah, uh," Inuyasha coughed, "I'll see you around, Kaede."

"Bye, Lady Kaede!" Kagome waved goodbye as she and Inuyasha exited Kaede's hut.

"Farewell, Lady Kagome!" Kaede waved back, standing in the doorway as she watched the couple leave.

When they were out of sight, she chuckled to herself and shook her head as she went back inside. "Teenagers in love," she muttered. Inuyahsa may have been over two hundred years old, but he looked (and acted) like a teenage boy. Or, rather, a teenage boy with half-demon features and a lot of combat experience, she thought.

* * *

After buying some seeds for farming in the village with a bit of Inuyahsa's money, he and Kagome made their way back to their hut where they began their day's work. Inuyahsa explained to Kagome what needed to be done for the day when they were standing outside their home.

"Okay, we're going to need some firewood from the forest for tonight," he started off. "I can get the fuel and the bigger pieces of wood, but we're going to need some sticks and twigs for kindling, too."

"Right," Kagome made a mental note in her head.

"Next, we're going to need food for dinner. We can get the fruits, vegetables, bread, and the other staples from the market, but we can hunt and fish here. Fish live in the lake over the hill and game is in the woods that way," he motioned with his hands. "We can probably trade off hunting in the forest with your bow, but I'm sure you're a lot better at it than I am. On the other hand, I can make a fishing pole and we can try it out down at the lake."

"Okay," Kagome nodded.

"Also, we should probably start a garden and a small farm so we don't have to buy most of our fruits and vegetables from the village."

"Oh," Kagome interrupted him after he finished his sentence. "Just one thing, Inuyasha."

"Yes?" he asked.

"How do you plan to get stuff from the market? I mean, I could bring some of my money from my time back here with me, but I don't think they'll accept it."

"You're right," he nodded his head. "I really don't have a lot, but I can probably find some work in the village and get paid for it."

"Right. Anything else?" Kagome asked.

"That's it for now, Kagome. I think I'll go get us some fuel for the fire. Would you come with me into the forest to pick up the smaller wood?"

"Sure," she smiled.

* * *

While Kagome gathered twigs and sticks from the ground and bundled them up into her arms to carry back to the hut, Inuyasha used his claws to cut down a tree in a single swipe. Somewhat startled, Kagome dropped the bundle she held in her hands and ran in the general direction of the loud noise that the tree made when it fell. She soon found out what it was, however, when she saw Inuyasha standing in front of a splintered stump where a large tree used to be.

She looked off to his side where it lay, fallen at his hands. Slightly alarmed, she looked up to meet his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to cut a whole tree down?!" she exclaimed. "At least I could have been prepared for it instead of getting scared half to death that something happened to you out here!"

"Hey, look," Inuyasha pointed at himself. "I'm fine. I told you I was going to get us some firewood and that's what I was doing."

"Well, couldn't you have just used Tessaiga instead of your claws?" she pointed out.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle. "Unless you want me to cut down half the forest, no. I figured my claws would be a lot safer and easier to control than a big sword. Besides, it's more fun this way."

Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than had Inuyasha quickly closed the distance between them and was less than a foot away from her face. She looked up and struggled to hide a gasp at his incredible speed. He looked deep into her eyes meaningfully, cupping her face and speaking to her with a husky tone to his voice.

"I can think of some things," he smirked. Whether he was joking or not, Kagome found him to be very arousing and extremely sexy at the moment. She had never experienced a feeling like this before and was eager to find out if she would feel it around him more often. The foreign feeling invaded her senses even more when he leaned in to kiss her. She didn't hesitate and happily met his lips with her own, wrapping her arms around his neck when he embraced her. They still had work to do, but it could wait. After all, it wasn't even noon yet and they still had plenty of time before sunset.

Inuyasha's soft, warm lips traded off with Kagome's as they embraced in the forest, totally oblivious to time and space around them. Inuyasha slowly moved his hands down to Kagome's hips, where he let them rest while tilting his head to get more access to Kagome's mouth. Kagome sighed and ran her fingers through Inuyasha's hair, taking strands of it in her hands and twisting it.

When his tongue moved along her lips, she understood what he wanted and parted her lips to allow his tongue to enter her mouth and explore. He moved his tongue against hers to coax it into playing with his, to which she responded delightfully. As they continued tongue wrestling, Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha's hair in response to his actions. He reciprocated her actions by squeezing her hips a little possessively. Not that she minded in the least, though.

After a few minutes of kissing, they broke apart for air. Inuyasha spoke softly to Kagome as he brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Really, though, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I'll let you know the next time I'm going to cut down a tree," he apologized.

"It's okay, Inuyasha," she accepted his apology. "I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

Inuyasha gave Kagome a brief kiss before he spoke again. "As much as I'd love to spend all day kissing you here, we should probably get this firewood back to the hut," he suggested.

Kagome could tell he wasn't being sarcastic by the passionate tone of his voice. He'd surely matured over the three-year span they were separated from each other. "Agreed."

* * *

Inuyasha made a pile of the firewood in the yard outside the hut, with the largest pieces on the bottom and the smallest on top. Kagome carried a few bundles of sticks and twigs from the forest back to the hut while Inuyasha simply picked up the whole tree and carried it with him. Using his claws, he slashed the trunk to pieces and arranged them in the pile to avoid the whole thing toppling over. Between him and Kagome, the whole process was finished in less than an hour.

Wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead, Inuyasha removed his jacket and threw it into a corner of the hut. He was about to step outside when he noticed Kagome's bow and a quiver of arrows sitting in a corner of the hut. He remembered his earlier comment to Kagome about hunting for food in the forest and decided that it would be best to start today. He grabbed the bow and quiver of arrows before returning outside to Kagome, who noticed Inuyasha's lack of a jacket and what he was carrying with him.

"Why did you take your jacket off? And what's with the bow and arrows?" she inquired.

"I took off the jacket because I was getting hot working out here," he answered her first question. "I got your bow and arrows because I thought we should start hunting today. Remember what I said about that earlier?"

"Oh, yeah," Kagome remembered. "Where do you think we should start around here?"

"Well," Inuyasha started off as he handed Kagome her weapons, "there's a good spot in the woods a little north of here where deer tend to graze. I'm sure you won't have a problem hunting them, but I should probably show you the spot so you'll be able to find it easier."

"Lead the way," Kagome said optimistically as Inuyasha led her to the hunting spot.

* * *

It didn't take Kagome very long to find a deer and shoot it at the spot Inuyasha told her it would probably be in. Of course, with her near-perfect aim, Kagome's arrow struck the deer right in the heart and killed it instantly. As Inuyasha saw it fall over on its side, he praised Kagome on the excellent shot.

"Damn, Kagome! That was from about thirty yards away, too!" he clapped her on the shoulder.

"Well, hey, practice makes perfect," Kagome shrugged in a humble fashion.

"Really, though, that was a great shot! Wish I could do that half as well as you."

"If you need lessons, maybe I could teach you," she offered.

"Maybe, but I think I'll stick with my good old sword for the time being," Inuyasha chuckled. "I would probably end up shooting out Kaede's other eye, with my kind of luck."

"Hey, the offer still stands," Kagome grinned. "Just ask and I'll help you train to shoot."

"I know where to find you if I need to look you up for your services," Inuyasha joked.

Kagome laughed with him as they walked to the fallen deer and carried it back to their hut. Though Kagome tried to help Inuyasha with the kill as much as possible, he took most of the weight on his shoulders while she got the back legs. Being a half-demon definitely had its advantages in strength.

* * *

After arriving back at their hut, Inuyasha showed Kagome how to gut and clean a deer. She winced a little when he cut the animal's chest open with a cooking knife and its innards spilled out in front of her.

"You okay?" Inuyasha put a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder when he saw her facial expression.

"Sorry," Kagome shook her head. "I've just never done this before."

"Hey, it's all right," Inuyasha rubbed her shoulder for support. "If you want me to stop for a minute or two so you can get some air, that's fine by me."

"No, it's okay," Kagome assured him. "I'll watch you do it this time and I can do it next time when we go out hunting. I just have to get used to it, that's all."

"You _sure_ you're all right?" Inuyasha pressed when he prepared to clean the deer.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Kagome put on a smile to assure him.

Inuyasha nodded as he removed the deer's internal organs and set them aside next to the carcass. He cut the animal up a bit more to expose the tender flesh, showing Kagome where the best meat was and how to get it out. Kagome nodded and paid close attention to the lesson, even if she was slightly uncomfortable the whole time.

Soon, the deer was skinned, the meat was salted to preserve for later, and the organs and carcass were put back in the forest by Inuyasha, who said the "undesirable contents" would be eaten by forest-dwelling carnivores later on.

* * *

When the early evening drew on, Inuyasha and Kagome had their first dinner together in their hut. It consisted of deer meat, rice, and some vegetables. Kagome was surprised to find that Inuyasha was actually a pretty decent cook.

"Wow," she said as she took a bite of the meat. "It's really good."

"You're not lying, are you?" Inuyasha teased her as he ate his own meal.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "I'm just surprised at how good of a cook you are."

"Well, I'm not _that_ good," Inuyasha shook his head, "but I _can_ cook a few things. Deer included."

Kagome laughed. "I honestly never really imagined you to be a culinary guy. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"I taught myself, really," he shrugged. "When I was younger and had to fend for my own out in the woods, it was either eat or die, so I hunted whatever I could. I figured out easily enough that meat didn't taste too good raw, so I started cooking it. If I could barely stomach it, I tried to make it at least palatable by flavoring it or cooking it a different way."

Knowing she'd hit a bit of a touchy subject, Kagome coughed into her hand and looked around to try and come up with another subject. She could discuss this with him some other time. Besides, she had something more pressing to ask him, anyway. "So, uh, we can still go back to my time, right?" Kagome looked over at Inuyasha as they both ate.

"Yeah," he said in between mouthfuls. "Why?"

"Well, I mean, I think I'll enjoy living here and all, but… it's just that…" Kagome trailed off.

"You miss your family," Inuyasha guessed.

"Yeah," Kagome blinked. "How did you know?"

"I saw it in your face," Inuyasha shrugged. "I'm not completely incompetent when it comes to body language, you know."

"So, when do you want to go back?" Kagome asked.

"Whenever you want. It's _your_ family, after all."

"But they're _your _in-laws, too," Kagome reminded her future husband. "I know they'll want to see each one of us as much as the other."

Inuyasha sighed. "I guess you're right. We're _both _in the family now."

Inuyasha thought about the situation while he and Kagome ate their dinner. When they were finished and cleaned up, he spoke to her on his proposition of going back to visit the Higurashis.

"I thought about it through dinner and I think I have an idea," Inuyasha embraced Kagome and kissed her.

"What did you decide on?" Kagome embraced and kissed him back.

"Does three times a month sound good to you?"

Kagome smiled. That actually sounded _very _good. It wasn't too little for her not to be able to keep in contact with her family, but it wasn't too overwhelming, either.

"That's perfect," Kagome caressed Inuyasha's face.

"If it's too much or too little, we can always change it," Inuyasha offered as he ran his fingers through Kagome's hair.

"Yeah, but three seems all right for now."

"Then it's settled. We'll make a trip down the well three times a month and see your family."

Pleased with the compromise, Kagome stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Inuyasha's neck and kiss him on the lips. Inuyasha sighed pleasurably and tightened his grip on Kagome's torso as he returned the kiss. Kagome let one of her hands trace Inuyasha's cheeks while the other stayed wrapped comfortably around his neck. He returned the favor by slowly lowering his hands to her hips and squeezing them.

Kagome shivered at the feeling of Inuyasha's caress and tightened up her grip on his neck as their mouths met once more. Inuyasha pressed his tongue to Kagome's lips and she got the gist of his actions, parting her lips to allow his tongue to explore her mouth and fence with her own tongue.

When they broke for air and Inuyasha leaned in for another kiss, Kagome placed a finger upon his lips to halt his movement. "I'd love to continue this, Inuyasha, but it's getting late and I wanted to see Miroku and Sango before we went to bed."

Slightly saddened (and annoyed) that they had to stop this tender moment, Inuyasha hid his true emotions and put on a smile just for Kagome, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I _did _mention that earlier, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Kagome laughed. "You did."

"Still wanna go?" Inuyasha teased.

"Of course I do, Inuyasha!" Kagome pushed him playfully. "They're practically family, you know!"

"All right, all right," Inuyasha nodded. "But if we want to get there before the sun sets, we should probably head out now."

"That's fine," Kagome said as she started to walk outside.

However, Inuyasha noticed that she wasn't wearing her sandals and stopped her before she got far. "Uh, Kagome?" he asked as she turned around to face him. "Your shoes?"

"Oh," Kagome shrugged. "I think I'll be fine like this."

Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome's bare feet and shrugged as well. "Your choice, sweetie."

Inuyasha was only trying to look out for Kagome's well-being, but he wasn't really about to force her to wear her sandals if she didn't want to; after all, he'd gone barefoot his whole life and never felt the need to wear footwear of any kind, so he would be acting like a bit of a hypocrite if he made her don her shoes when it wasn't preferred.

He stepped outside and met Kagome a few steps away from their hut. Taking her hand in his, he asked her, "Ready to go?" Kagome simply nodded with a smile, and with that, they set off for Miroku and Sango's place for a long-awaited visit.

* * *

**We'll meet Miroku and Sango's family in the next chapter when Inuyasha and Kagome stop in for an evening visit. As far as I know, neither the anime nor the manga ever mentioned the names of their kids, much less showed us what they looked like, so I'll just come up with something random, I guess. XD Let's see if I can get chapter three up faster than these first two…**

**Anyhow, I'll see all you faithful readers soon!**


	3. Long Time, No See

**God, I'm VERY sorry for the huge update gap! We had a lot to do in these past three or four months of school, including finals for the end of the year. Still, though, it's not much of an excuse for a near four-month update period on this story. I promise that I'll try to have new chapters up much more often than this for you guys!**

**Anyway, psyched out to meet Miroku and Sango's three little munchkins? I apologize if the names are a little weird; I'm not Japanese and had to go off of what I could to make sure they were accurate for their personalities. Their names will be in the Japanese vocab section at the end so you won't have to figure them out for yourselves. The only real facts I know about their kids are that there are a pair of identical twin girls (three years old) and one boy (one year old). Yes, I said I had no idea what they looked like at the end of last chapter, but I went on the internet and managed to find a pretty good picture. Though this fic mainly revolves around Inuyasha and Kagome, I'll see if I can work in a little Miroku and Sango stuff, too. And now, on with the show!**

* * *

**Chapter 3- Long Time, No See**

"Do they even know we're coming?" Kagome asked Inuyasha as they neared Miroku and Sango's house.

"Probably not," Inuyasha admitted, "but I know they won't mind. Hell, they're probably expecting us to drop by any day now!"

"I guess you're right. Still, I don't want to impose or anything."

"Naw, they _love_ company! Besides, didn't you want to see them?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't just want to drop in uninvited when they're most likely putting their kids to bed."

Halting just outside the front door, Inuyasha stopped and turned to face Kagome, cupping her face and gently making her look at him. "Listen, Kagome. It's _fine_. Trust me. They won't have a problem with us being here at this hour."

Sighing heavily, Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and managed to put on a smile. Even though this basically was _her _idea, she didn't exactly feel comfortable just walking in on her friends and their new family without even being invited to do so. But she did see what Inuyasha was getting at. Why would they ever turn away two of their closest friends?

"I guess I see your point," Kagome gazed into her lover's eyes as she finally said what he wanted to hear. Inuyasha smiled and leaned down to give Kagome a kiss before they visited their friends. He knew he'd won and was completely sure of it when her lips mingled with his meaningfully. Inuyasha automatically started to move his arms around Kagome's torso, but reminded himself that they had somewhere to be.

Reluctantly, Inuyasha gently pulled away from Kagome to softly grip her upper arms. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," Kagome replied. Their needs temporarily staved off, the pair linked their hands together before Kagome lightly knocked on the door.

"Coming!" a male voice answered the knocks. Inuyasha's sensitive ears perked up as they picked up the sounds of someone rushing around to get the door and young voices speaking, or attempting to speak, to each other. Miroku and Sango's three children, no doubt. The door swung open and the pair was greeted by the sight of Miroku. The monk was slightly stunned to see two of his best friends at his doorstep, but he smiled at them genuinely, anyway.

"Hello, Inuyasha and Lady Kagome," he looked between them as he spoke softly. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Miroku," Kagome smiled. "We just wanted to stop by for a little while and say hello to the family."

"Of course, of course! Come right in," Miroku stepped to the side and held the door open for his guests as he gestured inside. Inuyasha and Kagome stepped inside as Miroku shut the door behind him.

He turned around to face them and bowed politely. "My, my, Lady Kagome, it's been a long time! Nearly three years, if I'm correct."

"Yes, it's certainly been too long, Miroku. How are Sango and the family doing?" Kagome asked after bowing in return.

"Oh, we're doing fantastic, thank you!" Miroku exclaimed happily as he turned to Inuyasha. "And you, Inuyasha?"

"Fairly well, monk," Inuyasha said a bit dryly with a nod. He gave Miroku a look to indicate that neither of them would say anything to Kagome about his distraught behavior while she was away from him. Miroku looked slightly confused at first, but his friend's body language made him aware of his desire and the monk gave a slight nod to acknowledge the half-demon. They could discuss this later in private.

Miroku started the conversation back up again when he and Inuyasha were finished with their silent discussion. "So, how have you two been doing here?" he asked.

"Great, thank you for asking!" Kagome beamed. "We just moved in, but it's going good so far."

"That's good to hear," Miroku nodded, then changed then subject. "Sango should be down with the kids any moment now. I think they're getting dressed for bed tonight. I figured you wanted to meet them, so I told them there would be a surprise in the living room tonight if they behaved, which, of course, they did."

Inuyasha and Kagome both smiled and looked at each other, each wondering about what the children would think of them when they came downstairs. Oh, they probably wouldn't mind Kagome too much, but what would they think of the silver-haired half-demon with dog ears and claws standing in their living room? Wonder? Amazement? Hopefully not fear, though. The last thing anyone wanted to do was scare the kids.

As if on cue, the three-person group heard the click of a door as it opened and female voices speaking quietly. Of course, the first person to hear all this was Inuyasha with his sensitive hearing. He also caught the slight whimpering of an infant, which was quickly shushed by Sango.

Not even a few seconds after Inuyasha picked up on this, he heard another sound: footsteps down the stairs. He looked up to see two young girls running down the stairway and Sango cradling a small baby behind them as she slowly took the steps one by one. Lastly, Kirara leapt down the steps and landed gracefully on her four paws near Sango's feet. The toddlers stopped in front of their father and bowed politely.

Miroku smiled at the courtesy of his daughters and knelt down to ruffle each head of their brown hair playfully, the girls laughing as he did so. Sango saw this out of the corner of her eye and scolded him.

"Miroku! I just did their hair!" she chastised her husband.

The monk glanced over at his wife and smiled crookedly. "They're going to bed soon, Sango! It's just going to look messy in the morning again."

"I at least wanted them to look presentable for our guests," she motioned to Inuyasha and Kagome with one arm as her other cradled her and Miroku's infant son.

"Oh, they're fine," Miroku waved her off nonchalantly and grinned broadly at his daughters. "Right, girls?"

"Right, Daddy!" they agreed in unison.

Miroku laughed and scooped them up into his arms, swinging them around low to the ground so he wouldn't drop them. They laughed as he made animal noises and was scolded by their mother.

"Miroku!" Sango called his name out again, but rolled her eyes and looked at her guests when she realized he was too busy playing with their daughters. "Sorry, guys. He's hopeless."

"It's okay, Sango," Kagome smiled genuinely. "I'm sure he means well."

"Oh, I know he does. It's just that he can get a little wild sometimes. You should see him when he drinks too much!"

Inuyasha scoffed. "I can imagine."

Sango's eyes met Inuyasha's for only a few moments, but it seemed like hours to her from the way he looked at her. It was an expression of both happiness and grief. He was happy to be here with Kagome and his friends' new family, but he secretly grieved of the time he was separated from his love. Sango recognized this and decided to keep her mouth shut when she realized he wanted to tell her something. Instead, she flashed him a smile. "Witty as ever, eh, Inuyasha?"

"You know it," the half-demon replied.

"I take it you and Kagome have adjusted to your life here rather well?" she inquired as she bounced her baby.

"It's been a smooth transition, more or less," he glanced at his lover.

"That's great news! I'm glad to hear you two are enjoying yourselves."

"I see that you and Miroku have been busy," Inuyasha nodded his head toward no one in particular.

"Well, we both thought it was time, so we decided to have children," Sango looked down at her baby.

"You did a great job!" Kagome smiled. "Can we meet the kids?"

"Thank you," Sango smiled back, "and yes, you can. Miroku, dear?"

Her voice was much softer and more patient this time as she slightly turned to glance at her husband. Miroku's eyes met those of his wife and he stopped spinning the twins. Inuyasha and Kagome clearly saw the love he had for both his wife and family shine through his eyes as they locked onto Sango's. The two may have been joking around with each other when they argued, but his strong, abiding love for his new family was serious as could be. He set the girls down carefully on the floor and held them steady while they recovered their balance.

"Sorry, girls," he looked between the two. "Maybe later. How about we meet Mommy and Daddy's friends now?"

"Okay," they said in unison, once again.

Miroku rose to his feet and led his twin daughters to Inuyasha and Kagome. They stopped in front of their guests and looked up at them. Miroku came up to Sango's side and kissed her on the cheek as he wound an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. He looked at his daughters and urged them forward.

"Go ahead, girls. Introduce yourselves."

The twins took another step forward closer to the _hanyou_ and priestess. The girl on the left introduced herself first, then the one on the right.

"I'm Hiromi."

"And I'm Tomoko."

They bowed respectfully to their guests, who bowed back to them in return. Kagome looked between the identical twin girls and grinned. They looked just like Sango, with their brown hair, facial features, and even their mannerisms. "I'm Kagome. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, it is," Inuyasha agreed with Kagome. "I'm Inuyasha."

"And this," Sango nodded to her baby with a smile, "is Aki. I'd let him introduce himself, but he can't talk on his own yet."

"It's okay. I couldn't talk when I was his age, either," Kagome smiled back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Miroku suddenly blurted out.

"Sorry for what?" Kagome asked.

"I didn't even ask you or Inuyasha if you wanted to sit down!"

"It's okay, Miroku," Kagome accepted his apology. "If you wouldn't mind, then yes, we would like to sit."

Everyone filed in towards the center of the living room and sat down in a circle. Even Kirara joined them and lay down next to Sango.

"So, are you the priestess Mommy and Daddy told us about, Lady Kagome?" Hiromi asked with curious eyes.

"Well, priestess-in-training, but yes, I am," Kagome grinned at her title.

"Can you really blast energy out of your hands?" Tomoko asked.

"Yes, I can, but I probably shouldn't show you here, unless your parents want me to destroy their house," she grinned at Miroku and Sango.

"Oh, we wouldn't want that!" Miroku joked.

"Hey, Miroku, I'm going to fix some tea," Sango looked at her husband. "Watch over Aki for me, will you?"

"Oh, it'll be my pleasure, dear," he winked as he took Aki out of her hands and cradled him in his arms.

Sango got up to make the tea while the girls relentlessly bombarded Kagome with more questions. They asked her about her life in Japan's future, her battles alongside their parents, and more about her special powers and archery skills. Kagome didn't mind the attention, though. In fact, she loved the kids! So young and curious.

Eventually, they ran out of questions to ask Kagome and turned to Inuyasha instead.

"Are those real?" Tomoko pointed to his dog-like ears.

"Yes, they are," he stated, perhaps a little nervously because he had an idea of what was coming next. His suspicions were made true when Tomoko reached up to touch one of his ears while Hiromi got the other.

"They're so soft!" Tomoko exclaimed.

"Like a dog's!" Hiromi giggled while she continued touching Inuyasha's ear.

Inuyasha inwardly frowned at the girl's remark, but he forced a smile, however slight, to not scare them away. It wasn't so much that being referenced to a dog offended him, per se, but he never really liked being related to a species that was domesticated as pets for humans.

"All right, girls, I think that's enough ear-touching for now," Miroku verbally stepped in to rescue the half-demon from further embarrassment. Hirmoi and Tomoko moaned a little in protest, but they ceased their touching at their father's request. Inuyasha glanced over at his savior, who simply gave him a wink for assurance as he bounced Aki in his arms. The girls continued their onslaught of questions.

"Hey, are you a half-demon?" Hiromi inquired.

"Yes, I am," Inuyasha glanced at her. "A _hanyou_, to be specific. It basically means I'm part human, part dog demon."

"Are those claws real, too?" Tomoko gestured to his hands.

"You bet," Inuyasha displayed his fingers to the girls, who gasped in amazement. "You can look if you want, but I wouldn't touch them if I were you. They're pretty sharp."

"Daddy, this guy's amazing!" Tomoko looked back at her father, who chuckled softly.

"He's full of surprises, all right."

Hiromi took notice of Inuyasha's belt and noticed the Tessaiga sheathed on it. "Are you a samurai, Inuyasha?" she pointed to his sword.

"Hmm? Oh, no, that's just for protection. My father gave it to me if I ever needed to defend myself."

"Can we see it? Please?" the girls pleaded.

Inuyasha glanced at Miroku for confirmation. He simply smiled and nodded his head as he held the baby. Inuyasha rolled his eyes good-naturedly and chuckled as he stood up. "Oh, all right. Just be _very_ careful with it! It may not look like much, but it's extremely powerful."

"We will! We promise!" Hiromi and Tomoko exclaimed excitedly as they got to their feet.

Inuyasha took a step forward and urged one of the girls to grasp the hilt of the Tessaiga. Tomoko, who seemed to be the more curious of the two, grasped hold of it with both hands and slowly pulled upward. Inuyasha gently took hold of her shoulders and helped her unsheathe the weapon until it was fully exposed. Tomoko struggled to remain upright a bit, but Inuyasha kept his grasp on her shoulders firm until she righted herself and was able to stand with the sword.

"It looks kinda rusty," she stated while looking at the blade.

"Well, that's the way it's supposed to look if you're not me," Inuyasha chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Tomoko asked curiously.

"Oh, you'll see in a minute," he said mysteriously. "Why don't you let your sister hold it now, hmm?"

"Okay."

Tomoko slowly released her grip on the hilt of the sword and handed it off to Hiromi, who took it into her hands and held it just as her sister had.

"Wow! It's heavy!" she remarked.

"Yeah, well, you train with it enough and it doesn't feel so heavy after a while," Inuyasha stated.

He allowed Hiromi and Tomoko to hold the Tessaiga for a little while longer, observing them patiently as they traded off the weapon between each other and held it in front of them. After a few minutes, he asked for it back and the girls put it back in the scabbard the way they found it.

"Okay, now you might want to step back a little," Inuyasha advised as he put his left hand on the edge of the scabbard and his right on the hilt of the sword. Hiromi and Tomoko followed his suggestion and took a few steps back.

Inuyasha withdrew the Tessaiga from its sheath, only this time when he pulled it out, it was no longer the weak, rusty katana it appeared to be; it was now a huge, fang-shaped sword with fur near the hilt and a clean-cut blade. The girls gasped in wonder at how such a huge weapon could fit inside such a small scabbard. It must be magic or something!

"Whoa!" Hiromi gasped in amazement as Inuyasha stood in a battle stance with his legs spread apart and the Tessaiga gripped in both hands. "How did you do that?"

"My father made it so that only I could make it transform this way," Inuyasha stated. "If I gave it to you again, it would just transform back to that rusty old sword you saw earlier."

"That's cool!" Tomoko commented. "What does it do?"

"Uh, well, it can do a lot," Inuyasha chuckled, "but unless you want to live outside for a pretty long time, I probably shouldn't swing this around here. Maybe I can show you some techniques with it the next time I come over. Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" the twins eagerly responded in unison.

Though he probably wouldn't admit it to anyone, he thought it was kind of cute how they did that.

"Pfft. Showoff," Miroku mumbled to himself as he rolled his eyes. Inuyasha caught his friend's comment and just shot him a challenging glare.

"It's okay to admit you're jealous, Miroku," Inuyasha joked.

"Oh, yes, that's _definitely_ it, Inuyasha," Miroku sarcastically countered.

Inuyasha simply rolled his eyes while placing the Tessaiga back in its scabbard. He, Hiromi, and Tomoko returned to their seats back in the middle of the room. The conversations between the five people carried on for a short time before a shriek was heard in the other part of the house, followed by a quiet "damnit". Though Inuyasha heard the sounds a split-second before Miroku did, the latter immediately turned his head toward the source of the noise and checked in on his wife right before Kagome, the girls, and Kirara did so.

"Sango, honey? Are you all right?" he asked in a quick but calmed voice, trying to avoid disturbing the baby too much.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Miroku," Sango replied. "Just dropped a cup and it shattered all over the floor. Would you mind helping me clean it up?"

"Not at all, dear," Miroku replied honestly. "I'll be in shortly."

Miroku turned to his guests and apologized. "Sorry about that. She can get a bit clumsy sometimes."

"It's fine, Miroku," Kagome assured him.

"Would one of you mind holding the baby while I'm gone?" Miroku asked politely. "I'll only be gone for a little bit. Might as well help Sango finish up the tea while I'm in there with her."

"That's okay, Miroku. Take your time. We don't have anywhere to be tonight. I'll hold Aki for you while you're gone," Kagome offered.

"Thank you," Miroku thanked her as he handed off Aki to Kagome, who took the child into her arms as if it were her own and cradled him tight. Miroku looked down at his one-year-old son and smiled. "Now, you be good for Lady Kagome, you hear?"

The baby simply cooed at his father. Miroku kissed the infant on his forehead and got up to help his wife in the other room. Hirmoi and Tomoko started talking to each other again. Kagome locked her eyes on the baby and smiled broadly at him.

"Hi! I'm Kagome," she stretched out her words as she spoke to young Aki, who couldn't really understand her words, anyhow. She smiled at the way his young eyes gazed up at hers with obvious interest and gently bounced him in her arms. Kagome stroked the infant's cheek with one of her fingers.

"You know, he probably can't understand you," Inuyasha stated obviously.

"Well, it's fun, anyway!" Kagome smiled at her lover. "Not much of a baby person, are you, Inuyasha?"

"N-no, th-that's not it!" he stammered. "I just don't understand the point of talking to someone who can't understand what you're saying!"

"You wanna hold him?" Kagome offered.

"Uh, sure, I guess," Inuyasha said, slightly caught off guard.

Kagome handed Aki off to Inuyasha, who took the infant in his hands and was careful not to scratch him with his razor sharp claws. He looked at the infant intently, not completely sure what to think of him. When the baby didn't speak or even move, Inuyasha reached a finger towards Aki's face and carefully stroked his cheek as Kagome had. The baby made an appeased sound at him and Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at him. Something about this child made him feel warm inside. He didn't exactly know how to explain it, but all he knew was that Aki brought something out of him that made him curious about maybe having his own child some day with Kagome.

Kagome observed Inuyasha's facial expressions as he held Aki in his arms. She wasn't exactly sure why, but it seemed like the infant made Inuyasha really happy about something. What that was, she couldn't really say, but all she knew was that his golden eyes seemed to shine even more when he looked at the baby.

_He'd definitely make a great father_, she thought as she smiled mostly to herself. Wait, where did that thought come from? She obviously wanted children sometime down the road, but not right now! Though the idea did excite her, she knew she wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared to have a child just yet. She absentmindedly put her hand on her abdomen and made a circular motion on it, wondering just what it would feel like to carry new life within her.

At some point, Miroku and Sango came back into the room with the tea, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Inuyasha, of all people, cradling their baby. They both looked at each other in awe and glanced back at the half-demon, who was, surprisingly, being very gentle and father-like towards the infant. Miroku made a motion to Sango not to disturb Inuyasha and the couple stealthily made their way around the circle, giving the tea to Hiromi, Tomoko, and Kagome, who all accepted their drinks and sipped at them while looking over at Inuyasha. Miroku and Sango returned to their spots and drank their own tea while marveling at the sight of their friend with their baby.

Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, all eyes in the room were upon him. He only noticed what was going on when he looked up to ask Kagome a question and saw everyone else gazing at him while drinking their tea. Inuyasha looked from person to person in the circle around him as he lightly bounced the baby in his lap, wondering why they were all staring at him. "What?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Sango chuckled. "Just never figured you to be a baby person, Inuyasha."

"So you _don't _want me holding your kid?" he asked.

Sango couldn't tell whether he was being serious or just joking, so she remained optimistic and assumed it was the latter. "Oh, it's fine, really!" she waved.

"It's all right by us," Miroku backed his wife up. "Go ahead!"

"If you say so," Inuyasha replied nonchalantly as he looked down at Aki, continuing to bounce him and stroke his face.

The group began to lose interest in Inuyasha and broke off into their own side conversations once again. This went on for about a half-hour before Miroku spoke to Inuyasha while everyone else was talking amongst each other. "Inuyasha," he spoke softly, "would you mind stepping outside with me for a bit?"

Inuyasha had a feeling he knew what Miroku wanted to talk to him about, so he simply nodded and stood up after he handed the baby back to Sango, who asked what Miroku wanted to speak to Inuyasha about.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," he assured her. "Just some private guy talk."

"Well, don't take too long," she warned.

"It shouldn't be too long, Sango," Inuyasha answered for Miroku as he stared at the other male. "Right, Miroku?"

"Uh, right," Miroku returned Inuyasha's stare. Apparently, Inuyasha didn't want to talk for too long. Oh well. They could still have a quick conversation outside where no one else could hear them, and that was good enough for the time being.

Inuyasha followed Miroku as the latter opened the door and gestured for the former to step outside first. Inuyasha exited and Miroku followed close behind, closing the door behind him as he left. When they were standing just outside the house, Miroku informed Inuyasha that they were out of earshot and could now converse freely.

"All right, what is it, monk?" Inuyasha asked impatiently, his arms folded over his chest.

"I think you know what it is," Miroku hinted.

"Well, I can't be completely sure of what it is until you tell me!" Inuyasha raised his voice.

"It's about you."

"More specifically, please?"

"Your behavior while Kagome was gone from you."

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, I figured that would come up sooner or later," he said as he looked off in the distance.

"I think you should discuss it with her," Miroku advised. "I know you're not really one for talking about feelings, Inuyasha, but the longer you keep it bottled up inside you, the worse you'll feel. I may not be a counselor or anything, but trust me, I know from experience."

"Well, what do you want me to tell her, Miroku? 'Hi, Kagome, I had a lot of depressed feelings and thought about jumping off a cliff while you were away for three years?' I'm sure she'll be _thrilled _to hear that," Inuyasha remarked sarcastically.

"Obviously not," Miroku rolled his eyes. "Look, just tell her what you honestly felt like while she was gone and then tell her that you're happy she's with you now."

"I don't want to upset her or make her feel guilty, Miroku," Inuyasha spoke in a much quieter and serious tone than before.

"You won't, trust me!" Miroku put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I talked to Sango about Kohaku recently, and believe me, she felt guilty about his condition for some reason. I eventually convinced her that it wasn't her fault for what happened to him."

"Really? Just like that?" Inuyasha asked with a surprised expression on his face.

"Yes, just like that," Miroku laughed, trying to imagine Inuyasha talking to Kagome on his own. "All it takes is a few minutes of some persuasion and consolation and she'll be fine."

"I don't know, Miroku. I mean, you have an advantage with all your years of lechery, whereas I could barely have a conversation with Kagome when I first met her. How the hell is she gonna react when I want to talk to her about something deep like that?"

"Well, look at it this way; you and Kagome didn't talk much when you first met because you hardly knew each other's personalities at all, and now, look at you! You two are going to get married soon and you know each other like the backs of your hands."

"Guess you're right," Inuyasha gave in with a sigh. "All right, Miroku, you win. I'll tell her."

"I'm glad you see it my way, Inuyasha," he said as he squeezed the half-demon's shoulder. "Trust me, you'll feel much better after you talk about this with her. Besides, if you're getting married, the last thing either of you want to do is to keep secrets from each other."

"Right. We should probably head back in now," Inuyasha motioned to the house with his hand.

"Sounds like a good idea," Miroku agreed. "Let's head back in."

Miroku and Inuyasha walked the short distance back to the house in silence. Miroku opened the door for Inuyasha, who stepped in before him and took his place back in the circle. The monk closed the door and took his own seat, as well. He looked to his side and saw that the girls had fallen asleep right next to each other.

"Guess the girls talked themselves to sleep, huh?" he asked Sango.

"Yeah, one minute they were up and talking, and the next minute when I looked over, they were out cold on the floor. Aki's asleep, too."

"We should probably put them to bed, then."

"Speaking of which," Kagome covered up a yawn as she set her empty tea cup on the floor, "we should probably get going. It's getting pretty late."

"Very well," Miroku grinned as he picked his daughters up and slung one over either shoulder. "Sango and I'll just go put the kids to bed real quick. We'll see you out the door in a minute."

Inuyasha and Kagome got up to wait patiently by the door as Miroku and Sango carried their three children upstairs to tuck them in for the night. When they came down about a minute later, they opened the door for their guests and stood by the entrance as they said their farewells.

"It was nice seeing you, Kagome!" Sango bid her sister-like figure farewell.

"Oh, you too, Sango!" Kagome said goodbye to her best friend.

They hugged, and Miroku took advantage of the moment to whisper very low into Inuyasha's ear.

"Just remember what I told you, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Inuyasha brushed him off.

"See you around, Inuyasha."

"See you too, Miroku."

The men shook hands as the women finished their hug. Inuyasha and Kagome held each other's hands as they proceeded out the door, and Miroku and Sango followed them to the doorway.

"See you soon!" the couple waved off their visitors. Inuyasha and Kagome waved back as they thanked them for having them over and left for their hut.

Little was said as Inuyasha and Kagome returned to their hut. Inuyasha was still thinking of a way to bring up the topic he and Miroku had discussed earlier. He was never really good at speaking to women and he was even worse when it came to talking about feelings, _especially _his own. Now, he had to talk about his own feelings with a woman!

As they stepped inside their hut, Kagome turned around and kissed Inuyasha as she snaked her arms around his neck. He returned the kiss and embraced her. When they broke apart for air, Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and stroked his cheek.

"I had a really good time tonight," she smiled.

"Yeah," he smiled back. "Me, too."

"I don't know about you, but I'm really tired. I think I'm going to bed."

She started to head back to the sleeping mat she and Inuyasha shared, but he grabbed her arm lightly and gently turned her towards him. "Wait! Uh… can I talk to you about something real quick?"

"Of course you can!" Kagome grinned. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You know the three years you were gone from me and were in the future?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Kagome's grin faded, assuming Inuyasha was going to bring up a serious subject.

"Well, uh… I don't really know how to put this… basically, during the time you were gone, I didn't really feel like myself."

"What did you feel like?" Kagome pressed as she stroked his cheek to soothe him.

"I… I don't want to upset you…" he trailed off.

"Inuyasha, please!" she begged. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it! Trust me, I'm eighteen now. I can handle it."

"While you were away, I was really depressed. I felt pretty lonely and I wished you were here every day. Hell, sometimes I cried myself to sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about you! Even the monthly visits didn't help much. I don't want to be away from you that long ever again."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome tried to take in everything he just said. "You-you really felt that way?"

"Yeah," he swallowed hard. "I did."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I kind of felt the same way you did. I kept thinking of you every second of every day, and it got so bad that at one point, I just threw myself into my work and tried to keep you off my mind. Honestly, I kind of feel a little guilty about that."

Kagome averted her eyes from Inuyasha's, not feeling worthy to speak to him after what she just said. But he proved differently. He cupped the side of her face and gently turned her towards him so he could look into her eyes once more.

"There's absolutely _no _reason for you to feel guilty about that," he told her kindly, but firmly. "I would have much rather you put me out of your mind and do well in school than to obsess over me and not be able to concentrate."

"I know I shouldn't feel guilty," Kagome sighed. "Guess it's just a natural thing when you're in love with someone."

She looked into Inuyasha's handsome, golden eyes and smiled, just as he looked into her beautiful, chocolate brown eyes and returned the smile. His face flushed a light shade of red and Kagome continued stroking his cheek. He cupped the back of her head and brought his head down for a kiss. He brushed his lips over hers, allowing their breath to fully mingle before he kissed her. She returned the sweet gesture, catching his lips with her own and tightening her grip on his neck as her fingers combed through his soft mane of hair. Likewise, his arms moved behind her back and held her in place with loving, possessive care.

When they ran out of breath and had to withdraw for air, Inuyasha pulled back slightly and brushed some loose bangs out of Kagome's eyes. "Now, let's go to bed."

Kagome couldn't have agreed with him more. She smiled as they walked hand-in-hand back to their sleeping mat near the wall of their hut. She lay down first and allowed him to spoon up behind her, draping his arm over her shoulder and sighing comfortably. Soon, the couple drifted off to sleep and allowed the darkness of the cool night to take them in. Everything was perfect for them.

* * *

**Yes, a pretty lengthy chapter, but I figured that was adequate punishment for me on that whole "update gap" issue. I figured Inuyasha would eventually have to tell Kagome about his problems while she was gone, so I just said, "Hey, why not now?" and decided to do it in this chapter. **

**A fair warning, though: I have a REALLY busy schedule this summer and may not be able to update as often as you (or I) would like, so please be patient with me. I'm going to Ocean City, MA, from today (June 24) until next Sunday (July 1), so I might have time to work on chapter four for a bit, but I wouldn't count on an update this week. However, I'm off the week afterward and will have time to update the new chapter (hopefully). Then, as if a beach vacation weren't enough, I have summer camp to go to from July 8-14. They don't get internet up there, either. XD After that, I'm basically free until two weeks in the middle of August when I have band camp. Yes, I'm in marching band. Don't judge!**

**So, other than that, I'll hope to keep you guys busy with more Feudal Tale chapters over the summer! Peace out.**

* * *

**Japanese vocab:**

**_hanyou- _A half-demon (take a guess as to who I'm talking about XD)**

* * *

**Japanese name translations:**

**Hiromi- "Abundant beauty"/"prosperous beauty"/"generous beauty"**

**Tomoko- "Friendly child"/"knowing child"/"wise child"**

**Aki (Unisex name)- "Autumn"/"bright"/"sparkle"**


	4. The Proposal

**Okay, to be honest, the Ocean City vacation ended a day early on June 30 instead of July 1. Not like it matters, though, right? Also, I was a week early on the summer camp thing; it was July 14-21, NOT 8-14 like I originally thought it would be. Oh well, minor details that really don't mean jack when it comes down to anything. But enough talk and on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 4- The Proposal**

Over the next several days, Inuyasha and Kagome got a few major things accomplished that they needed in order to be happy with their new life.

First of all, Inuyasha got a job in the village from the headmaster, who was more than happy to pay the _hanyou _for his services to the people. After many months of searching for all the shards of the Shikon Jewel, Inuyasha and the others had earned quite a reputation for themselves as slaying demons and humans who wished to possess the shards for their own evil purposes and helping people in need along the way. By this time, everyone in Edo had forgiven Inuyasha for the day he'd wreaked havoc on the village and stolen the jewel, as they later learned Naraku had possessed him and Kikyo to betray each other so the infamous man-turned-demon could make off with the jewel himself.

Next, Kagome was able to adapt to hunting in the forest for food and clothing. It had taken her some time, but with Inuyasha's help and guidance, she was beginning to truly understand what it meant to live off the land and support themselves. They also began fishing in the lake, which Kagome had never really done before but had been helped by Inuyasha nonetheless.

And, finally, the couple made their first visit to Higurashi shrine since settling down in Japan's past. The visit actually went a lot better than either Inuyasha or Kagome thought it would go, though it certainly did hold its fair share of surprises.

* * *

Since there was no way to contact her family ahead of time, Kagome simply figured they wouldn't mind if she and Inuyasha stopped by for a visit. Of course, as soon as they knocked on the door and Mrs. Higurashi opened it up to find the two of them before her, she immediately ushered them in and gave them plenty of hugs, telling them both how happy she was to see them. Not long after greeting them at the door, she excused herself to the kitchen to get started on dinner.

Kagome heard her brother running down the stairs and braced herself for impact, knowing he was probably going to give her a bear hug. Sota nearly fell down the stairs speeding over to his big sister, who was just barely able to keep herself upright when he lunged at her to tightly hug her around her waist, since that was about as high as he could reach.

"Sis!" he cried out.

"Hi, Sota," she managed to gasp out. She eased Sota off of her so she could talk to him face-to-face. "How have you been these past few days?"

"Okay, I guess," he shrugged with a grin, "but even better now that you're here. Hey, what's with the white kimono"

"Well, Inuyasha and I figured that since we're in the past now, I might as well dress like I somewhat belong in it," she smiled back while looking around a bit. "Where's Grandpa?"

"Oh, he's upstairs getting changed, but he should be down pretty soon," he nodded to the stairs.

Sota looked around for a second before leaning in to speak to his sister in secrecy. "I think he got over the whole thing between you and Inuyasha," he whispered. "He's been a lot easier to talk to since you left, for some reason."

Kagome gave an expression of surprise and Sota stepped back, holding his hands in the air and saying, "I'm just telling you the truth. I think he might want to talk to you later."

"Uh… okay. Thanks, Sota," Kagome said slowly, not sure what to think. She'd been gone for less than a week and her grandfather had already forgiven her for something he believed could ruin her life and future? That seemed _very _unlike him.

Kagome looked around to see where Inuyasha went, but she was shocked to see him standing off to the side giving her a questioning look on his face. She gasped, knowing why he was looking at her like that. He must have heard what Sota said, even though his voice was lowered to just barely a whisper. Kagome completely neglected the fact that Inuyasha may have been near and could very well have picked up the conversation through his sensitive ears.

Inuyasha took a step toward Kagome and was right in front of her. Her heartbeat was erratic and felt like it had become her whole being. Was he angry towards her? Towards Sota? Towards Grandpa? She didn't know what to say. "What was that all about?" he asked in a low but demanding voice, arms folded across his chest.

"Uh… w-we'll talk about it later, okay?" she pleaded with him, not wanting to make a scene in the living room.

"Yeah, we will," he said in an affirmative tone.

Inuyasha turned on his heel and followed Sota into the kitchen to see if Mrs. Higurashi needed any help, leaving Kagome standing alone in the living room. It wasn't that she felt Inuyasha didn't have the right to know about Grandpa's claims, it was just that she felt it was better for him not to know about it in the first place. So much for that plan. She would just have to tell him the truth.

What would happen when he found out about Grandpa's words? How would he react? She loved him to the end of time, but Inuyasha wasn't particularly good at "expressing" his feelings, much less talking about them. That would come later, though. For now, she just wanted to enjoy being in the company of her family.

She heard meowing and saw Buyo round the corner. He briefly rubbed against the wall before he circled Kagome and brushed his tail against her legs, wanting attention. She rolled her eyes and bent down to pick him up. "All right, all right. Come here, boy," she picked him up and carried him into the kitchen, petting him as he did so. He purred affectionately.

Kagome walked in to find her mother cooking oden, one of her favorites.

"Oh, hello, Kagome!" she smiled as her daughter entered.

"Hi, Mom," Kagome greeted her mother. "Need any help?"

"No, thank you, dear," Mrs. Higurashi declined. "I'm all good in here."

"Weren't Inuyasha and Sota in here a few minutes ago?" Kagome asked.

"They were, but after I told them I didn't need any help, they went outside to go play hide-and-seek around the shrine."

Kagome rose her eyebrows in surprise at the boys' whereabouts. She found it hard to believe that Inuyasha would actually go along with something as childish as a game of hide-and-seek, but if Sota had challenged him to it, then he must have just went along with it. He didn't really _want _to play with Sota… did he?

As Kagome opened the back door to look for her lover and brother, she thought of some unfair advantages Inuyasha had over Sota. Most noticeable were probably his acute senses of smell and hearing. He could probably hear Kagome's brother running around from half a mile away, no matter how quiet he tried to be, and he could certainly pick up his scent to track the boy down. Plus, if he even caught a glimpse of Sota, he would use his half-demon speed to catch up to and quickly locate him.

On the other hand, Inuyasha would be nearly impossible to find if he went into the forest. He'd spent nearly half his whole life in the forests of the feudal era, so concealing himself within one in a more modern version of Japan would be a piece of cake for him. Not to mention that he could be _very _stealthy and quick when needed.

While she carried Buyo to the backyard to look for the boys, she wondered who was hiding and who was seeking at this point. She walked around for a while, trying to find at least some trace of where either of them might have gone off to. Her answer came soon enough when a red form exploded from the tree line holding a struggling form in its grasp.

Kagome took a closer look and saw that Inuyasha caught Sota and was holding him up off the ground by the back of his collar. Her younger brother was obviously trying to get out of the half-demon's hold. She smiled to herself when the _hanyou _literally "caught" Sota and refused to let him go.

"Oh, come on! I wasn't even out there for a minute!" Sota pouted as he was held off the ground. "Did you even count to twenty?"

"What, you think I cheated?" Inuyasha countered. "It's not my fault I'm better at this game than you are!"

"No, you're just a lot faster and have better senses than I do! I _knew _this was gonna happen…"

"Admit you lost fairly and I'll let you go!"

"No!"

"Fine, I'll just hold you like this until you do."

"Hey, guys," Kagome suddenly broke in.

Inuyasha and Sota took a pause in their small argument to glance in Kagome's direction. She waved to them with one hand while petting the cat with the other. "Having fun?" she asked.

The boys answered in unison.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Inuyasha smirked.

"No way! Kagome, he's cheating!" Sota pointed a finger accusingly at the half-demon.

Kagome chuckled as she adjusted Buyo's weight on her shoulder. "Well, dinner will be ready in a little while, so don't head too far away from the shrine, okay?"

"Got it," they both replied in unison once again, actually agreeing on something this time.

Kagome took Buyo back to the house and headed up to her room while she left the boys to keep playing hide-and-seek. She shut the door and threw herself down on her bed for no particular reason as Buyo hopped up to join her. As she laid spread eagle with her chin up on the covers, he stretched out and yawned a bit before he settled in next to her. She reached back to scratch his head and he slowly fell asleep.

Kagome sighed to herself. Okay, so maybe Inuyasha _did _enjoy playing with Sota, but his good mood wouldn't last long when he came back in and demanded to talk to her. She was still nervous about how the whole "talk" would go. It could very well turn into a shouting match, if she wasn't careful. She would just need to carefully phrase her words and try to keep Inuyasha under control so the whole thing didn't spiral out of control and transform from a simple talk into an explosive argument.

Trying to put this out of her mind and rest for a little while, she closed her eyes and tried to take a nap.

* * *

Not much later after she fell asleep, Kagome awoke to the sound of her mother calling her from the kitchen. "Kagome, dinner's ready!" she called up. "Bring the boys in so we can eat!"

Kagome yawned and stretched out, her movements awaking the sleeping Buyo and causing him to do the same. She slowly got up and left her room to walk downstairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door. Buyo decided to stop at the kitchen door and stay inside. Kagome walked out past the shrine grounds and toward the forest where she found Inuyasha and Sota earlier. She called out to them as she got near the tree line.

"Inuyasha? Sota? Time for dinner!"

No response. She waited a few moments, assuming they simply hadn't heard her or had and hadn't responded yet. A minute passed by and still nothing. She tried again and waited patiently for a response. Same results.

As she got deeper in the forest, she kept calling out to the boys, hoping they could at least hear her and just couldn't find her. She began to worry when several minutes went by and she couldn't find them. Unsettling thoughts began running through her head as she started moving faster and calling out their names more frantically. Where were they? Were they all right? Could they really not find her?

She began to slightly panic and thought about doubling back to the house to get her mom and grandfather to help her look for the two. She turned around and was about to head back to the shrine when she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned to see Inuyasha carrying Sota in his arms. She gasped when she saw an expression of pain on her brother's face and immediately ran for the two of them.

"Inuyasha! What happened?" she rapidly asked while she examined her brother.

"He fell out of a tree while we were playing and hurt his ankle," he looked down at Sota. "I don't think it's broken, but you should probably look at it, anyway. You're better with medicine and healing than I am."

"How long ago was this?" Kagome questioned while pulling up Sota's pant leg to get a better look at his ankle.

"A few minutes, I think. It's my fault. I shouldn't have scared him like that," he shook his head with a guilty look on his face.

"Hey, it was an accident, right?" Kagome glanced up at Inuyasha while investigating Sota's leg. "Accidents happen all the time. It wasn't like you purposely scared him or pushed him out, right?"

"No, of course not!" Inuyasha quickly spoke, shocked to hear Kagome even come with a possibility like that. "I would never do something like that!"

"He didn't," Sota reassured her, even as his words came out slow and unevenly. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

"I believe you," Kagome grinned at both of them before returning to Sota's injury. "Now, does it hurt to move your ankle, Sota?"

"Yeah, a lot."

"How about right here?" she pressed on a certain point on his foot.

"No."

"What about here?" she tried a different spot.

"Ow! Yeah," he gasped out in pain.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized. "Well, it's a little swollen, but I don't think it's broken. Probably just a sprain."

"Whew," Inuyasha breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good to hear. I think the in-laws would kill me if something was broken."

Kagome laughed a little as she pulled Sota's pant leg back down and stepped back to allow Inuyasha to carry her brother. They may not have been one hundred percent all right, but at least they were safe. "Come on, let's get back to the shrine. I'll get some ice for that."

She lead the way back while Inuyasha carried Sota in her arms right behind her, being extra careful not to jostle him around too much or drop him. They reached the shrine a few minutes later, walking to the house and entering through the back door. Kagome went in first, holding the door open for Inuyasha and Sota and closing it behind them as she followed them into the dining room. Mrs. Higurashi was setting out the plates and food when she heard the kids come in. She turned around to ask them to wash their hands before they ate, but she was cut short by the sight of her injured son in Inuyasha's arms.

"Oh, Sota!" she exclaimed as she hurried to his side. She looked up into Inuyasha's golden eyes. "What happened to him?"

"We were playing hide-and-seek and I think I scared him out of a tree. It wasn't too high up, but he fell on his ankle. I'm sorry, it's all my fault," he shook his head guiltily. "I can understand if you don't forgive me."

"Well, I can't forgive you, Inuyasha," she stared into his eyes with a look of disapproval on her face, which were looking down as his ears drooped in guilt. However, her expression slowly turned into a small smile. "I can't forgive you because there's nothing to be forgiven."

Inuyasha quickly jerked his head up, not believing what he just heard. She forgave him, but didn't?! What the hell did that mean?

"Hmm… looks like a sprain," she commented as she took a look at Sota's ankle. "Inuyasha, can you let him down so I can put some ice on it?"

Inuyasha did as asked and lowered Sota to a standing position to allow the boy to limp over to his mother. "Come on, Sota," Mrs. Higurashi led him into the kitchen. "Let's go put some ice on that."

Inuyasha and Kagome were left standing alone in the dining room together. He was simply dumbfounded. Why hadn't she yelled at him? If he'd done something like that in the feudal era when he was younger, the child's parents probably would have been extremely angry at him. He'd be lucky if they didn't beat him or exile him from ever seeing the child again. Not that he ever had a single friend while growing up, though; everyone avoided him simply because he looked different.

Though he never really thought about it, he was actually glad that Sota thought of him as a hero and a role model. Sure, he may have been younger than the _hanyou_ and pretty clingy, but he was a good kid. He could tell that Sota would grow up to be a good man.

"Inuyasha," Kagome softly spoke, successfully pulling him out of his trance.

He turned his head to look at her. She stared into his golden eyes with a look of affection and happiness. He stared back into her chocolate brown eyes, not sure what to say. Was he supposed to speak or did she want to say something to him?

"Thank you," she beamed, answering his silent question. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Uh, sure," he scratched the back of his head and coughed nervously. "No problem."

He really wished one of the Higurashis were around to end this awkward moment, but Kagome was the one he was talking to, Mrs. Higurashi and Sota were busy with the latter's ankle, and Grandpa Higurashi was nowhere to be seen. Fantastic.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi called from the kitchen.

"Yes?" they responded in unison.

"Wash your hands so we can start dinner, okay?"

They did as they were told and rinsed their hands off in the bathroom sink, though Kagome's were already clean, for the most part. When they returned, Mrs. Higurashi, Sota, and Grandpa were sitting at the table and putting food onto their individual plates. They took their seats with the trio and began filling up their own plates, choosing to sit next to each other, of course.

"So, how's your ankle, Sota?" Grandpa asked.

"It hurts a little, but I think I just sprained it," his grandson replied before taking a bite of oden.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied onomatopoeically.

"It was just an accident," Mrs. Higurashi stepped in, assuming her father may have been accusing Inuyasha of doing something wrong. She soon changed the subject. "So, Kagome, how have you been in the feudal era?"

"Just great, thanks!" she grinned as she took a sip of water. "We're living in a hut right now, but we'll get something nicer soon. It's really interesting, though. There's something new every day."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Mrs. Higurashi approved. "Will you be stopping in for visits this often?"

"Yeah, we will. Inuyasha and I agreed on at least three times a month."

"I'm happy you could work it in!" her mother smiled widely, joyful to see that her daughter and son-in-law would be around like this more often. "It really means a lot for you two to drop by."

"It's no big deal, really," Inuyasha waved it off. "We just wanted to see you guys often."

"Well, I'm just so happy we could all be here together for dinner tonight," Mrs. Higurashi said happily.

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement as they continued eating, engaging in light conversation. Inuyasha and Kagome glanced at each other lovingly every so often, happy to be among Kagome's family for dinner once more.

* * *

When dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, Inuyasha figured it was time to have that talk he wanted to have with Kagome. He took her hand in his and pulled her aside as she got up. He leaned in close and whispered, "I think we should have that talk now."

"All right," Kagome sighed. "Let's go upstairs to my room."

"Okay," Inuyasha nodded.

They started to head up the stairs to Kagome's room, but only made it a few steps before Grandpa called up to his granddaughter.

"Kagome?"

She stopped in her tracks, knowing Grandpa probably wanted to speak to her about something. She sighed as she turned to face him. "Yes, Grandpa?" she inquired.

"Would you come down here for a minute? I would like to have a word with you. It won't take long."

"Um, sure," Kagome responded, somewhat nervous.

She looked over at Inuyasha. "I'll see you in a few minutes," he said as he headed upstairs. "I'll be up here when you're done."

Kagome simply nodded and waited until Inuyasha reached the landing before she walked back downstairs to meet with Grandpa.

"You wanted to talk about something, Grandpa?"

"Yes. Let's talk in here," he began walking to the living room.

Kagome followed close behind, wondering what he wanted to talk to her about. If it was another lecture on her future husband, she really wasn't in the mood to hear it. She stopped when he did as he turned around to face her as he spoke.

"Kagome, let me just start off by saying how sorry I am about a few days ago when you were here," he apologized. "I know it was your graduation day and I almost completely overlooked that because of some insightful comments I made. I honestly didn't mean to ruin your whole day, and I'm very sorry for upsetting you."

His granddaughter looked at him with a very surprised expression on her face, clearly not expecting an apology from him. "Um, it's okay, Grandpa," she excused. "We all make mistakes."

"No, it's not okay," he continued. "It was a very special day for you and I messed it up. It was _your _day. Graduating high school is very important, especially for a young woman like you."

"Look, Grandpa, I-" Kagome began before her grandfather cut her off.

"Please, let me continue," he held up his hand. "Not only am I sorry for causing you to have a bad day, but also for what I said. I never should have brought up the idea of children, especially at your age now. I guess I got a little too excited about carrying on the Higurashi family. And most of all, I'm sorry for insulting Inuyasha. Yes, he can be a little clumsy and ignorant, but I see how much he cares for you and enjoys being around you and here with us at the shrine. He may have a little rough exterior, but I know that deep down, he's a good boy."

Kagome thought about saying something, but figured it would be better to let Grandpa continue. "I just didn't want you to make a mistake and regret it for the rest of your life. I didn't want you to fall in love with the wrong man. But now I know that you're truly happy. If he's really the one you want to be with, then I give you my full consent."

"O-oh, Grandpa!" Kagome cried out as she embraced her grandfather tightly, tears brimming from her eyes. "I love you!"

"I-I love you, too," he struggled to get out as he returned the embrace, obviously not expecting her to hug him like that.

She released him from her death grip with a smile on her face. She wiped the tears from her eyes before she gave him one last hug and told him she was going upstairs. He nodded and walked into the kitchen to help out with the dishes as Kagome rushed up the stairs to her room. She couldn't wait to tell Inuyasha the good news!

She flung her door open and was about to call for Inuyasha's attention when she looked down to see him playing with Buyo. She closed her mouth and just smiled as she leaned against the frame of the door and watched the scene unfold before her.

"Who's a good kitty? Who's a good little kitty cat?" Inuyasha said in a playful voice as he scratched Buyo's large belly while he lay on his back, completely at the half-demon's mercy.

"Nice to see cats and dogs can get along," Kagome chuckled.

Inuyasha glared over his shoulder as he continued playing with the cat. "Ha ha, very funny, Kagome."

"I thought you wanted to have that talk," Kagome pressed as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Well, I did, but your cat insisted, so…"

Kagome sighed. "Do you wanna talk or not?"

"We'll continue this later," Inuyasha whispered to Buyo as he stood up and sat beside Kagome on her bed.

They looked into each other's eyes as Inuyasha started off.

"So, what was that all about this afternoon when Sota was whispering to you?" he inquired.

"Grandpa and I had an argument the day you came here to get me," she admitted.

"What was it about?" he pressed.

"It was about us," she confessed.

"What _about _us?" he rose his voice a little.

"He… he didn't like the idea of me being with you."

"So? You think I care what he thinks? He's just an old man, what does he know?" he stood up and spread his arms out, raising his voice even more.

"Inuyasha, please!" she tried to calm him down. "Look, I haven't even told you what he just spoke to me about!"

"What?" Inuyasha grumbled in an irritated voice.

"He just apologized to me about the whole argument and took back everything he said a few days ago."

"Oh," Inuyasha lowered his arms and voice as he slowly sat back down on the bed. "He, uh… he apologized to you?"

"Yes," Kagome laughed. "It's all good now. He also gave us his consent for our relationship."

"Well, that's good," Inuyasha breathed out a sigh of relief. "I was afraid I'd have to put my grandfather-in-law in a coma."

Kagome glared at Inuyasha, who grinned and put his arms up in front of his face. "Hey, hey! Just kidding! You know I wouldn't do that, right?"

"Sure," Kagome rolled her eyes as a faint smile found its way across her face.

"There's another thing I wanted to bring up, too," Inuyasha looked at Kagome with a more serious expression on his face.

"What?" she asked curiously.

Inuyasha got off the bed and knelt down on one knee. He reached into his jacket to withdraw something.

_Is he… is he really doing what I think he's doing?_ Kagome wondered. Her heart began to beat rapidly as her pulse pounded in her ears and her hands trembled. _Is… is he… is he really proposing to me?_

Inuyasha pulled out the object he was searching for and held it in his fist in front of him.

"Remember when your mother said something to me before we left?" he looked deeply into Kagome's brown eyes.

"Y-yes?" she said nervously.

"Well, she told me that when the time was right, I should propose to you for our marriage with something special to her."

Kagome gasped as she saw what was in the palm of Inuyasha's hand as he opened it up. It was the unmistakable form of a gold, diamond-encrusted ring. It seemed to shimmer in his outstretched hand as he spoke.

"She gave me this before we left and I've had it on me ever since. She said it was the same ring your father gave her on the day of their wedding. I tried to turn it down, but she insisted."

Tears began to form in Kagome's eyes as she heard Inuyasha speak the words she had been waiting for him to say for a long time now.

"Kagome, will you marry me?"

That was when she lost it. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She started to cry and covered her mouth with her hand. "Y-yes!" she exclaimed happily. Inuyasha smiled as he slid the ring onto Kagome's ring finger. She held the back of her hand up to her face, examining the beautiful object she now wore on her hand. It fit perfectly.

She slowly rose to her feet to embrace Inuyasha and plant her lips firmly on his. He had the same idea and wrapped his arms around her back to kiss her back. They kissed passionately for several minutes, relishing in one of the happiest moments of their lives.

When they broke apart for breath, they laid their foreheads together and took in each other's beautiful features. They stroked each other's hair and faces, looking deeply into the opposite's eyes.

"I love you, Kagome," Inuyasha said with feeling.

"I love you, too, Inuyasha," Kagome responded, meaning every word of it.

* * *

**Wow, pretty big step for our favorite couple's relationship, huh?**

**I know I may get some questions concerning Inuyasha's proposal in this chapter, so I'll just simplify it down to the idea that Kagome's parents had a Western-style wedding. No, I'm not sure if it was common back then, and I honestly don't care. Not trying to offend anyone, but it's really not a big deal in my eyes.**

**Oh, and a quick note on Sota spraining his ankle; I was up late writing this and the idea kind of just randomly came to me, although it was sort of inspired by the fact that I did something to my ankle recently while going down a natural rock slide (definitely didn't break it, but can't tell if I twisted or sprained it). Not trying to generate sympathy or anything, just thought some of you might find that interesting.**

**Not making any promises here, but I'll try to get chapter five up ASAP. Until then, see all you dedicated readers later! Now, time to get cultured:**

* * *

**Japanese vocab:**

**_hanyou- _I really hope you all know what this means by now…**

* * *

**Japanese terms:**

**headmaster- The person in charge of a village or settlement in the Warring States Era (and some other eras, too, I'm sure). Usually a male, but I'll bet there were a few exceptions to that…**


	5. Newlyweds

**Well, it's the big day for Inuyasha and Kagome! Sorry if their wedding seems like something we'd have here in America; I didn't want to do a traditional Japanese wedding and royally screw it up, because that would probably end up insulting a lot of Japanese readers and make me look like an ass for doing it in the first place. Plus, Western-style weddings tend to be more popular than traditional Japanese ones over there, so that kind of works itself out nicely. The usual brand of fun with the whole gang along with some seriousness, too, but not a lot of it. After all, it's supposed to be a happy day, right?**

**Something I forgot to add in the last chapter; I recently got the first season of Inuyasha on DVD and watched the whole thing, so that's helped me out a lot with some of my writing. Season one down, four more to go! And the movies, too…**

**A warning pertaining to that M rating: this chapter contains a lemon (or a _lime_, considering the fact that it's not very graphic), although it's probably not between who you've been expecting. I'm sure I'm going to catch hell for this in upcoming reviews, but just be patient and wait until the next update. With any luck, it should be up in a matter of days, not weeks like my usual schedule is.**

* * *

**Chapter 5- Newlyweds**

A few months after their visit to Higurashi shrine, Inuyasha and Kagome had their wedding in the feudal era. It wasn't large or elaborate, but that was the way they wanted it. They spent most of their days planning on how it would go; who to invite, where to have it, and who would be doing what during the ceremony.

Eventually, they decided to invite Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Shippo, Myoga, Kohaku, Koga, Ayame, Sesshomaru, Rin, and even Miroku and Sango's three children. The audience turned out a lot better than expected; everyone showed up, even Sesshomaru! Of course, since his master decided to attend the wedding, Jaken naturally followed him.

The wedding was held in Edo, since it was where they would be living from now on. When everyone in attendance got situated and was ready for the event to begin, the wedding began.

Hiromi and Tomoko walked down the middle of the village, tossing colorful flower petals into the air as they went. They asked the to-be-wedded couple some days before the wedding if they could be the flower girls, to which they happily responded "yes." The girls were clearly enjoying being the center of attention and playing an important role in the ceremony, and their parents couldn't help but beam as all eyes were on their daughters. Sango smiled while she bounced Aki in her lap and Miroku mirrored her expression as he stood with Inuyasha at the front.

Since Miroku had a holy profession, Inuyasha and Kagome were quick to choose him as the priest. Even though he technically wasn't one, he had enough experience as a monk to be considered for overseeing the marriage. This and the fact that he was close friends with the couple made him more than applicable for the duty.

However, this stirred up a slight conflict within Inuyasha's mind; he wanted Miroku as the priest for his wedding, but he also wanted him for the best man, so who would take upon the role of the latter? Since Miroku was married now, his days of lechery were basically over and Inuyasha had no fears whatsoever of him flirting with Kagome (even if he may have playfully done it every once in a while just to get on his friend's nerves), so he was in perfect condition to be the best man at the wedding.

But when the couple agreed Miroku would act as the priest, Inuyasha had absolutely no considerations on who should be the best man. Oh, there were men of all ages in the village who would have loved to be near Kagome just to admire her up close, but the half-demon hardly knew any of them. This remained a major problem for Inuyasha for many weeks before the wedding.

It wasn't until a week before today that Kagome suggested a name that made Inuyasha cringe at the very thought of: Koga. Just hearing the wolf demon's name come out of her mouth made his blood pressure rise and ball his hands into fists. Why in the living hell would he invite his rival to, quite possibly, the most important event of his life?!

There were so many negative things he could say about Koga that he could probably write a book on the guy. Did he hate him? No, and to be honest, he didn't particularly dislike him either, but did he want him at his own wedding? Hell no!

However, the more he thought about it, the more he began to consider Koga for being the best man. Koga knew the two of them pretty well, he wasn't an enemy of anyone in attendance, and he would (hopefully) be able to control himself during the wedding. Besides having to stand near his sworn rival for an hour or so, what did he have to lose? And even though the wolf probably still had slight feelings for Kagome, he was married to Ayame, so the chance of him flirting with the bride was slim to none.

Reluctantly, the half-demon invited Koga to his wedding around a week before it was planned, and the wolf accepted.

* * *

Inuyasha was still slightly irritated even now as Koga stood near him, however irritation was near the bottom on the list of serious emotions he was feeling right now. There were so many he could hardly think! Fear, anticipation, nervousness, joy, wonder… they all surged through him like a river and he began to feel a little uneasy. His hands folded in front of him at his waist, he looked around a little nervously, fearing that maybe his bride had run off.

He nearly jumped when Miroku put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine," the monk leaned in to whisper so low that only his friend's sensitive ears would have been able to pick them up. "You're doing great so far."

"Gee, thanks," Inuyasha scoffed. _Some words of encouragement_, he sarcastically thought.

"Here she comes," Miroku nodded off towards the distance as he withdrew his head and body back to an upright, standing position of reverence.

Inuyasha quickly did the same when he saw a white form slowly progress down the center of the village. As discreetly as possible, he began to shift from foot to foot rather anxiously. It was really the only thing keeping him from fainting right now.

One by one, the heads in the audience began to turn to look behind them when they noticed the men in front looking intently down the road. Everyone stood up almost in unison. All eyes were on Kagome Higurashi as she proceeded to her groom. She didn't walk very fast or very slow, but rather somewhere in the middle.

Kagome chose a white kimono as her wedding dress. It was somewhat like her priestess one, but rather more elegant and important-looking. It only took her a few minutes to choose it when she picked it out in the village, and it wasn't very expensive, either.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, chose a yellow, patterned kimono. Even Kagome was stunned when he chose to wear it on the day of their wedding instead of his red fire rat fur kimono. Not that she didn't like the way it looked on him, it was just nice to see him in something other than the same old outfit he wore most days.

As Kagome drew nearer and nearer, Inuyasha's heart beat faster and faster. What if she didn't want to go through with this? What if she didn't want to marry him? What if she said _no_? He tried to convince himself that these thoughts were irrational and that he was just nervous, but it was extremely hard for him to keep his calm. She looked absolutely stunning and he wanted nothing more than to embrace, kiss, and marry her right now, but he couldn't rush something like this. It wouldn't be right.

Inuyasha was so out of it that Koga actually had to tap him on the shoulder to let him know that Kagome had arrived next to him. He nearly jumped when he saw, to his own horror that she was, indeed, right next to him. How the hell had he missed that?! It seemed that getting married today had severely weakened his senses.

Miroku cleared his throat and began the ceremony. Inuyasha and Kagome snuck some glances at each other once in a while as the monk spoke. Once he got through the basics, he first asked Inuyasha if he wished to be married to Kagome.

"I do," he responded, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

Miroku then asked Kagome if she wished to be married to Inuyasha.

"I do," she replied, also keeping her eyes on Inuyasha.

Hearing Kagome's positive response greatly put Inuyasha's mind and heart at ease, and he unconsciously let out a very small sigh of relief that only his bride heard. However, she was too busy listening to Miroku's words to pay any attention to her groom's body language. Inuyasha followed suit and turned to face one of his best friends speaking before him.

Minutes later, after the readings, minister's words, and marriage vows, it was time for the ring bearing. Shippo got up from his seat in the audience and proceeded around to Inuyasha and Kagome's front. He stood up on his tiptoes (or tip-_paws_, as it was) to offer the rings to the bride and groom. They placed their hands on them as Miroku blessed them for good luck and then exchanged them, putting them on each other's ring fingers. He sat back down in his seat with everyone else in attendance to watch the remainder of the wedding from afar.

Miroku looked between his two friends, smiling as he said the words that would forever bind Inuyasha and Kagome in a contract of everlasting love: "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Inuyasha and Kagome embraced each other and kissed sweetly. Everyone in the audience rose to their feet if they hadn't done so already and applauded. Some whistles and shouts were heard, as well. Time seemed to stand still for the newlyweds. They lost themselves in the most meaningful kiss of their lives. When they parted for air, they opened their eyes to stare at each other for several minutes, not particularly caring about their audience or what they were thinking.

They turned to face the crowd, smiling in pure joy as their hands intertwined together. The applause and clapping grew even louder. Inuyasha turned his head slightly to look back at Miroku, who winked at his friend and gestured away from the village. He looked over at Koga, who had a slight smile on his face but tried to hide it when his rival caught his glance. The wolf demon simply shrugged his shoulders and turned away, clearly not wanting to engage in conversation right now.

The couple stepped off and proceeded away from the village for the wedding reception.

* * *

The reception was held at Miroku and Sango's house, since it was much larger and more spacious than Inuyasha and Kagome's hut. Though they didn't attend the actual wedding since they weren't exactly close friends of anyone in the audience, several villagers attended the reception to congratulate the new couple in Edo. Miroku and Sango served refreshments to their guests while the newlyweds mingled with their audience. Or most of it, anyway.

Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Koga didn't make much of an effort to converse with anyone, since most of everyone at the reception had labeled them as enemies at some point or another in their travels. Instead, they chose to just stand by and wait until the reception was over. They just hoped it would end soon so they could escape the awkwardness of the situation.

* * *

"So, thanks again for acting as the priest for our wedding, Miroku," Inuyasha thanked him.

"Please, it was an honor," Miroku waved his hand nonchalantly. "I always wondered when you would spring the question on her, to be honest."

"What, you didn't think I had it in me?" Inuyasha acted defensive.

"Oh, not really. I just didn't expect it to happen that soon."

"Whatever you say, monk," he rolled his eyes.

"However, I do wonder if our children will have a cousin or two to play with eventually," Miroku scratched his chin as if he were considering something.

Realizing what Miroku was suggesting, Inuyasha took a step back and shook his head wildly, throwing his hands up in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Miroku. We _just _got married."

"So?" Miroku shrugged. "Sango and I made love the evening of our marriage. Most people do it."

"Well, we don't have to be like most people," Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Hell, most people in the village have probably never even considered the thought of a half-demon and a girl from the future getting married, anyhow."

"I'm just saying, maybe you should make a move on her tonight," his friend suggested with a lecherous grin on his face. Clearly, that part of him was still there.

"I'll 'make my move on her', as you put it, when we're both ready for that kind of commitment," Inuyasha said seriously.

"Hey, I already have a wife. I'm just giving you a friendly suggestion on what I would do."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like something you would do," the half-demon rolled his eyes once again. Being around Miroku seemed to cause him to do that a lot.

* * *

While Inuyasha and Miroku were discussing certain "aspects" of marriage, Kagome was busy chatting with Sango.

"So, how did you know you wanted kids?" Kagome asked her friend.

"It just comes naturally, I guess," Sango shrugged.

Aki started to fuss and she shushed him, bouncing him a little to quiet him down.

"There comes a time in your life when you see all these other couples walking about with kids around their ankles, and you start to think to yourself, 'If I started a family of my own with someone I love, would that make me happy like them?' For Miroku and I, the answer was yes, quite obviously. I guess it's different for everybody, but we wanted kids when we did, so we decided to have them."

Kagome took all of this in, allowing Sango to finish before she smiled and gave her friend an opinion on the whole topic. "I bet if I asked your husband that same question, he'd say something about doing it because of your gorgeous body or training his own kids to be just like him someday, right?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "You know him well."

"Hey, at least he's turned around," Kagome noted optimistically. "A few years ago, he would be eyeing every young woman and making an effort to get near them every chance he could get. Now that he's married, he wouldn't even try something like that."

"Because he knows I would find out about it somehow and punish him dearly for it," Sango smiled.

"Guess husbands can't hide anything from their wives, can they?"

"Nope. That's the benefit of being married. You can almost instantly tell if your partner's been dishonest about something."

She was going to add something on to that statement, but a certain person across the yard caught her attention: Kohaku. Their eyes locked for only a brief moment before her brother turned his head to avoid any awkwardness, but in that moment, Sango saw a plethora of emotions running through him just by looking into his eyes: joy, regret, sadness, reverence… There were just so many. They all made him seem much older than he really was.

Sango politely excused herself from the conversation to speak with her younger brother. Kagome knew what was going on almost instantly when she saw her friend eyeing Kohaku. She hastily whisked her away, wanting to give her a chance to talk to him.

"See you in a little while!" Sango waved with one hand while looking over her shoulder at her friend.

"Talk to you soon, Sango!" Kagome waved back. She hoped Sango and Kohaku were able to work out whatever they were going to discuss.

Sango made her way through the crowd as gently and politely as she could, but her desire to speak to her younger brother slightly hampered this. She meant to gently nudge aside the partygoers, but the nudges turned into shoves without her even knowing it. Only when the guests gave her rude glares did she realize what she was doing. She apologized rapidly and slowed her pace, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

She found Kohaku standing relatively by himself when she cleared a path between herself and him. He didn't see her at first, as he was busy concentrating on the early evening sky. She called out his name softly, hoping he would hear her without drawing too much attention.

"Kohaku?" she called out.

He turned his head to face her. Whether or not his sister knew about it, he hadn't planned to visit her for some time. The last time he was in the area, he told Totosai he wouldn't come back to visit because it was getting too cramped. However, when he heard of the wedding between Inuyasha and Kagome and was invited to said event, he decided to show up for the sake of being there for his friends. Maybe he could have a much-needed chat with her now that she was unoccupied.

"Hello, sister," he greeted her in his deep voice.

"Would you mind if we talked for a bit? Maybe somewhere a bit more private?" Sango asked him, directing toward the house with her head.

"Not at all," he grinned. "Lead the way."

Kohaku followed his elder sister into her house, where she shut the front door behind them and allowed him to get comfortable in the living room to hold their conversation while she headed upstairs to put Aki to bed.

* * *

By now, Inuyasha was finished talking to Miroku (well, for the moment, at least) and had moved on to Koga. Even _he_ had no idea why he'd decided to even look over at the wolf demon, much less speak to him. Maybe he was just curious as to why the bastard was making absolutely _no _attempt to communicate with anyone whatsoever since the wedding reception began. Not that he really cared about the man's feelings, he just wanted to get it out of the way.

"Nice party, huh?" Inuyasha began by making small talk with his rival.

"Whatever you say, mutt," Koga rolled his eyes. "I'm just here because Ayame dragged me along."

"Are you sure it wasn't because I considered you for being the best man?" Inuyasha asked slyly, trying to get on the other man's nerves.

"Trust me, if you were getting married to anyone other than Kagome, I never would have come here," he stated dryly. "Frankly, I don't think you deserve her, but that's just me."

"Well, what if I told you that I don't think you deserve Ayame?" Inuyasha challenged.

"I think I would tell you to go to hell," the wolf demon narrowed his eyes, clearly a little pissed off.

"Speaking of Ayame, where is she, anyway?" Inuyasha looked around. "I saw her earlier at the ceremony, but I don't see her now."

"She's somewhere in the crowd. I can smell her," Koga sniffed around as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Surprised your dog nose couldn't pick up on that, mutt."

"Sorry, I usually don't sniff around for women who already belong to other men, wolf-boy," Inuyasha shot back.

"Did you come all the way over here just to taunt me or do you actually want to discuss something important?" Koga asked through gritted teeth, balling his hands into fists. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could endure before he challenged the groom to a fight.

"Look, Koga," Inuyasha sighed, his expression softening ever so slightly, "I came over here because I noticed you weren't talking to anyone. If you don't want to converse with anyone here, that's fine, but at least talk to Ayame. She's your wife, for crying out loud!"

"I would, but she's talking to someone else right now. Unless you want me to break up their conversation just for the sake of having a husband-to-wife casual chat with her, I'd rather wait until she's done."

"Okay, okay, fine. Just please promise me you'll talk with her when she's done, all right?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, yeah, mutt-boy," Koga waved his rival off. "Just go talk to your own wife, why don't you?"

Inuyasha smiled while walking away to find Kagome. Same old Koga. Before he got far, though, he stopped to turn on his heel to say one more thing to the wolf. "Hey, Koga?"

"Yeah?" Koga glanced in Inuyasha's direction.

"Thanks for showing up and being the best man," Inuyasha thanked him warmly with a smile.

"Sure thing," Koga gave a rare, small smile back.

With that, the half-demon turned away from Koga to look for his new wife, still smiling.

* * *

"So, how has your demon slayer training been going?" Sango asked her brother after she came downstairs to sit with him.

"Very well, thank you for asking," he replied to his sister. "I've exterminated many foul demons thus far. I've been to many villages in need of help and have aided them to the best of my abilities. Traveling all over the country and seeing everything it has to offer is just one of the many perks for me."

"I'm glad you're adapting well to it," she smiled at him. "Father always said you would make a great slayer someday."

"Yeah," Kohaku looked away from Sango to stare at the wall opposite him.

Realizing what she'd just said to trigger those dark memories, Sango quickly put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder and spoke softly but seriously to him. "Listen, Kohaku. It's not your fault. I know you still probably blame yourself for that night, but believe me when I say this; it wasn't your fault _at all_. It was just a bad night for all of us. Naraku's dead now, and we can all move on. Please, Kohaku, don't dwell on this. Please just enjoy yourself here this evening."

"I know, Sango," he lowered his gaze to the floor in front of his sister, tears brimming in his eyes. "I just… I just wish we never would have gone to the castle that night."

"Me, too, Kohaku," Sango sympathized. "Me, too."

Kohaku slowly raised his head to look his sister in the eyes. She was shocked to see tears spilling down his face and his expression one of great pain and sorrow. His mouth quivered as he tried to control his emotions to speak to her, but all he got out was her title as his sibling.

"Sister!" he cried out as he moved forward to tightly hug her.

Sango, caught a little off balance but almost never off guard, held herself in place as she hugged him back. She gently rocked him as she spoke soothingly to him and stroked his hair like she did when they were little. "Shh, it's okay, Kohaku. It's okay. Just let it all out."

She began to cry as well, but her tears were those of joy, not sadness. She was happy that her brother was here to celebrate a wonderful occasion and she could speak to him once again. She was happy she had a family of her own and that Kohaku was their maternal uncle (though they would probably think of him more as a cousin because of his young age). She was happy that she, Kohaku, and the rest of her friends and family could finally have peace with the world and settle down to live normal lives. She was happy that everything was just so… right.

His sobbing lasted another few minutes against her shoulder as she continued to soothe him in a very sister-like manner. Her kimono was slightly wet with her brother's tears, but she didn't mind in the least. He was here with her now and that all that mattered.

When his crying let up and he was able to control his speech once more, he sat up and released his sister from the embrace.

"Feel better now?" Sango asked him, brushing the tears from her face with the sleeve of her kimono.

"Much better," Kohaku gave a small smile as he wiped his own tears off his face.

Kirara chose that moment to come down the stairs and stop beside Kohaku. She made a noise and he turned to look at the cat that had been a part of his family for generations. He smiled at her and extended his left arm to her.

"How have you been, Kirara?" he asked her as she leapt onto his wrist and perched on his arm, just like she used to do when he and Sango were younger. Her tails swished happily from side to side as she meowed at Kohaku, who scratched her head with his right hand.

"She's missed you," Sango commented. "We all have."

Kohaku glanced at his sister while petting Kirara. "Missed you, too, sis."

Even though Kohaku left with Kirara three years ago to train as a demon slayer, he sent her home sometime in the middle of his training so she could be with her new family. Now that he was here with the rest of the family, she seemed overjoyed to see him.

"Now, why don't you change out of that slayer outfit and into something less formal?" Sango suggested, motioning to her brother's attire.

"Sure. Is there a place where I can get changed in some privacy?" he asked her.

"Upstairs in one of the rooms with the door open," she motioned up the stairs. "Just don't go in the one that's closed. That's where the baby's sleeping."

"Okay," Kohaku lowered Kirara to the floor so she could sit by Sango.

He got up to get dressed upstairs, carrying a bag with him holding his clothes and other belongings. He entered and exited the room in a matter of minutes, getting undressed and redressed quickly. He was wearing his usual attire when incognito: his blue dress clothes. He didn't bring any shoes to wear with them since he never wore any while in his regular dress. He came downstairs to find Sango standing by the door with a smile on her face.

"Want to go mingle with some of the party guests?" she offered.

"Sure!" he responded enthusiastically.

Together, the siblings left the house to look for some people to talk with in the crowd.

* * *

Inuyasha was busy making his way through the crowd trying to find Kagome. He had a strong feeling Koga would make good on his promise to talk to Ayame, so he left him right after their little talk to find his new wife. He sniffed around in the air, searching for her scent. He found it without much trouble and headed off in the direction he smelled it coming from. Less than a minute later, he saw Kagome speaking to Kaede with the former's back turned to him, her raven hair waving ever so slightly in the wind.

He was just about to call for her attention when a voice he thought he would never hear call out his name actually called out his name.

"Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru called out in a gruff voice off to the side of the crowd.

The half-demon stopped cold to slowly turn and look over at his older brother. He was standing with his arms folded across his chest, a look of impatience on his face. Jaken and Rin stood at either side of him. Why would Sesshomaru, of all people, want to speak with him? Had he completely forgotten his unprovoked hatred and malevolence toward his younger brother in the time he'd been away with Rin? Maybe she had somehow broken through that icy part of his personality and gotten through to the softer part of him that almost no one had ever seen before.

Whatever the case, Inuyasha softly sighed to himself and walked over to his elder brother. It was best not to keep him waiting. When he got impatient, he tended to lash out, and a fight was the very last thing he needed here. He stopped a few feet in front of Sesshomaru, deciding to keep his distance in case his brother decided to try anything.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I believe Rin wanted to give you something," Sesshomaru stated, his voice as cold and emotionless as ever.

"Okay, like what?" Inuyasha asked, looking down at the young girl.

She slowly walked towards the half-demon, her hands behind her back. Inuyasha knelt down to equal himself up with her height, more or less. She slowly raised her eyes to his and outstretched her hands to him to present her gift to him. It was a colorful bouquet of flowers.

"I picked them for you this morning," she smiled. It seemed to be the only expression on her face, no matter what the circumstance.

"Well, thank you, Rin," Inuyasha grinned, taking the flowers from her hands. "They're very nice."

"Thanks!" she thanked him as she stepped back to be a little closer to Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha rose to his full height with the flowers in one hand and looked from Rin to his brother. "Did you put her up to this?" he joked.

"A stupid question from a stupid half-demon," Sesshomaru scoffed.

"Oh, come on!" Inuyasha pressed. "Lately, you've seemed… nicer or something. Don't tell me it has nothing to do with her!"

"There's no point to this feeble argument," the elder of the two tried to avoid the statement.

"I think there is," the younger continued the argument. "I think the high and mighty Sesshomaru's getting a pretty big soft spot."

"How dare you insult the great Sesshomaru!" Jaken's high-pitched voice pierced Inuyasha's sensitive ears. "You should feel honored that my master has requested your flea-bitten hide in his presence!"

Inuyasha gave the small demon a death glare. Jaken cried out in terror and quickly retreated behind his master's leg. Inuyasha returned his eyes to his brother.

"Anyway, was that all you wanted?" he asked.

"Yes. That and the fact that we're leaving now," Sesshomaru announced as he started to walk away, Jaken and Rin instinctively tailing right behind him.

"Hey, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha called out.

The owner of the name halted in his steps and turned to face his younger brother, irritated as ever. He didn't say anything and simply waited for the half-demon to speak.

"Thanks for coming," Inuyasha smiled.

Sesshomaru just rolled his eyes, turned around, and continued to walk away with his pair of followers. In the brief moment before his brother turned away, though, Inuyasha could have sworn he saw the slightest smile on his face. He didn't dare mention it to him, though; a fight would _definitely _break out if he even suggested something like that to Sesshomaru. With that, Inuyasha set out to find Kagome. Hopefully, she was done talking with Kaede so he could get a chance to have some time with her for himself.

* * *

Another few hours of talking, laughing, and refreshments later and most of everyone cleared out. Only Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and the twins were left standing in the front yard of Mirkou and Sango's house.

"Thank you, once again, for having the reception here," Kagome thanked the couple who owned the house.

"Oh, it was our pleasure!" Sango smiled. "A special occasion like this only comes once in a lifetime, after all! Well, for most people…"

"Yes, thank you for the after-party," Inuyasha added. "It definitely wouldn't have worked at our hut."

"Really, it's fine," Miroku assured them. "Now go home and enjoy yourselves!"

Inuyasha coughed nervously, having an idea or two about what he meant when he said "enjoy yourselves." Seeing her husband acting a little uneasy, Kagome stepped in to speak for him.

"Yes, well, we'll see you sometime soon, okay?" she led Inuyasha away by his sleeve.

"Of course," Miroku waved to them as they left. "Don't be strangers!"

Kagome smiled and waved some more before she and Inuyasha left Miroku and Sango's house. When she thought they were out of earshot and over the hill leading to the house, Kagome inquired about her husband's strange behavior a few minutes ago.

"What was that all about?" she asked curiously.

"What was what about?" he replied questioningly, obviously playing dumb.

"You know what I mean," she rose her eyebrows at him.

"Nothing, really. Just thinking of some perverted things he would normally say to us," he said, half-lying.

"Uh-huh," Kagome nodded, understanding what he was talking about. Deciding the issue was too unimportant to press any further, she switched topics. "So, how does it feel to be married now?"

"Great," he glanced lovingly at her with a smile as he held her hand. "How about you?"

"Same here," she squeezed his hand and smiled back at him.

Words were no longer necessary to express their thoughts and feelings at the moment, so they walked back to their hut in complete silence, side by side. They could talk later, if they wished.

* * *

Sango lay down on the large bed shared with Miroku with a heavy sigh as her face buried into the pillow. It hadn't taken them too long to clean up around the house and lawn after their guests left, but she was exhausted from the day, regardless. She closed her eyes and waited for Miroku to come back in from saying good night to the girls.

She didn't hear him come in but did feel him lay down next to her, also with a heavy sigh. She smiled to herself. Nice to see she wasn't the only one who had a long day.

"Long day?" she inquired, rolling over and getting on her side to look at him.

"Yeah. Weddings tend to be that way," he replied, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "You?"

"Same. I'm almost ready to fall asleep immediately at this point," she turned his hand over to kiss it.

"Well… there _are _alternatives to that, you know," he smiled crookedly at her.

"Okay, fine," she obliged him. "Just not too long, though, all right? I'm pretty tired and I don't think I have enough energy for an all-nighter."

"Fine by me," he moved in to kiss her. "Something's better than nothing."

She met his lips with her own and put her arms around his neck, lying down on her back as he moved on top of her. Though he could be a bit of a pain sometimes, she had to admit that he was a great kisser. He began to undress her while she held him in place with her legs and continued kissing him. He moved his kisses to her neck and she sighed as his kisses trailed up and down her neck.

Within minutes, Miroku and Sango were completely undressed and fulfilling their bodies' needs while their children slept peacefully down the hall.

* * *

**See? Told you I'd get some Miroku/Sango in there! I know it's pretty short and some people might be sort of pissed at that, but as Miroku said in this chapter, "Something's better than nothing." ;) I'm sure a lot of readers here are highly anticipating something to transpire between Inuyasha and Kagome. I'll let you in on a little spoiler: their time will come next chapter. Please be patient and allow me some time to get it uploaded, and I promise you, you'll get the lemon you've all been waiting for.**


	6. After Party

**Okay, here it is! The moment every Inuyasha/Kagome fan who's currently reading this story has been waiting for: the IxK lemon! At least, I think so, but you get the point. ;) And in case if anyone's wondering, it will be considerably longer than the MxS one from last chapter. To be honest, that one was more for filler and done for the sake of keeping good on my word to have something transpire between the two of them, so please don't get too pissed off at me.**

**All joking aside, this chapter obviously contains a lemon, so please read at your own risk. (Okay, maybe not _all _joking aside. I can never stay completely serious for very long. XD)**

* * *

**Chapter 6- After Party**

Inuyasha sat up high in a tree branch with Kagome in his lap, his back against the trunk and his arms tightly around her waist. He nuzzled her hair as they stared off into the distance to watch the sun set, much like they had three years ago when he saw her off to high school. Only this time, there were no bittersweet moments. No uncertainties. No sad feelings.

She had finally gotten what she wanted. She was married to the young half-demon she had come to be acquainted with and eventually loved since their adventures for all the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls. In the back of her mind, she secretly thanked every force in the universe imaginable for Mistress Centipede dragging her down the well on the day of her fifteenth birthday. If that hadn't happened, she never would have been able to explore an entire alternate dimension in the past, discovered her true potential as a priestess, met any of her friends in the feudal era, gone on exciting (and perilous) quests to recover a powerful ancient artifact, or, most importantly, met the man she loved more than anyone she'd ever laid eyes on and eventually marry.

All in all, she was completely content with her life. She was married, had a great position in the village, had good friends who lived nearby, and could go back in time whenever she wished to visit her family. What more could she ask for?

She moved her head back a little more to allow it to rest on Inuyasha's shoulder and pleasantly sighed at the sky before her. In response, he burrowed his face further into her hair and tightened his grip around her waist. His breath tickled her neck and she shivered as goosebumps formed on her skin.

Kagome reached a hand behind her head to tangle it in some of Inuyasha's hair. She ran her fingers through it as he nuzzled into her neck.

"It's beautiful," she marveled at the sky.

"It's a lot better up here, huh?" he asked for her opinion.

"Yeah, it is," she agreed.

"You know, when I was younger, I was lucky if people would even look at me, let alone talk to me," he reminisced a little painfully. "I never even considered the thought of a woman loving me someday. But here I am now, married to you, Kagome."

She turned her head and body to wrap her arms around his neck and face him, continuing to listen to his words.

"When I first met you, the only thing I saw you as was a reincarnation of Kikyo, and for some stupid reason, I… I hated you because of that. Then, when the Shikon Jewel became involved, I simply saw you as another way to get to it to become a full-fledged demon. But after a while, when I got to know you, I couldn't help but feel… attracted to you. I started to think about you more and more and the jewel less and less. I spent months looking for that damned thing for something I knew probably wouldn't even work when I should have spent more time focusing on something much more important, something that was right in front of me, something I knew I cared for deeply but would never admit it; it was you, the woman I loved, and still love today."

"Inuyasha…" she stroked his cheek, attempting to the very best of her abilities to take in everything he just said and understand it all without letting her emotions get in the way. It wasn't very often he opened up to her like this.

"I'm being completely honest with you when I say that this is the happiest day of my life," he smiled at her, his eyes glazed over slightly.

She felt tears begin to form at her eyelids and her lips quivered. He really meant it. She could tell he was stating the absolute truth when he spoke. She was completely at a loss for words. She couldn't speak.

Understanding her predicament, Inuyasha lightly sighed and cupped the side of her face to kiss her softly on the lips. She closed her eyes and responded within a second, tilting her head ever so slightly to give him a bit more access to her mouth. He took this opportunity by the horns and licked her lower lip, asking for entrance. She happily obliged him and pushed his tongue back with her own when it entered her mouth.

They both moaned as they held each other and explored the other's mouth with their own. They lost track of time, kissing and caressing each other high up in the tree. Before they knew it, the sun passed below the mountains and the moon was the only light which remained.

Suddenly, Inuyasha quickly rose to his feet, scooped Kagome up into his arms before she had any time to react, and jumped off the branch.

"Inuyasha!" she shrieked as she flew through the air. What was he doing?!

"Just trust me!" he assured her as he landed on nearby tree branch.

He jumped off of that one and landed on another, then another, then another. He kept leaping from branch to branch, cradling Kagome close to him as he jumped. At first, she was kind of freaked out, but after the first few jumps, she found it kind of fun. Soon, her shrieks of terror turned into squeals of joy. It was kind of like riding on his back when he glided through the air. She hadn't done that in a very long time, not since their last adventures together for the jewel shards, of course. Sometimes she missed those days, but overall, she was glad she could finally settle down to live a normal life with her new husband.

Eventually, they neared their hut. Inuyasha took one last leap and landed right in front of it with a soft thud. He lowered Kagome to the ground, who was still laughing from the experience. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Inuyasha. He kissed her back and walked into the hut with her.

As Inuyasha got situated for bed, a certain thought entered Kagome's mind; it was the same thought she had about a week ago when she and Inuyasha planned their wedding. There was a very specific reason she chose this day to get married to him. The thought had stayed up in her mind every single day up until this very moment. If she didn't consult with him now, she wouldn't get another chance for a long while. Part of her was nervous, but another part was anxious and _very _curious.

The second part seemed to come off much stronger, so she decided to ask him. She took a deep breath and called out his name. "Inuyasha?" she asked in a very, very soft voice.

He was about to change out of his wedding kimono and back into his regular one, but hearing Kagome call his name prompted him to turn around to face her.

"What's up, Kagome?" he asked, taking off his _obi _and jacket and dropping them to the floor.

"Well, um, I'm not really sure how to say this, but, uh… would you, or, um… do you want to… uh…" she looked down at her feet and scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Want to what?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Well, now that we're married, do you want to… um… take the next step in our relationship?" she looked up to glance at him, the words slowly coming out of her mouth one at a time.

"Next step?" he rose his eyebrows, obviously confused.

She almost laughed at his ignorance, hiding it behind her hand.

"You know…" she hinted, rolling her eyes.

It took him a few moments to register the comment, but when he got the gist of her words, his eyebrows went up as far as they could possibly go without falling off his face. His mouth opened about halfway and he actually struggled to respond to what she was suggesting. It took every ounce of self-control that Kagome had not to bust out laughing at Inuyasha.

"R-ready for _that_?" he emphasized the last part.

"Yes," she stepped closer to him, embracing him around the neck and looking intently into his eyes. "I wanted to wait until we were married to do this."

"Aren't you afraid you'll get pregnant?" he asked in a concerned manner. "I mean, I would love to have a baby with you someday, but don't you think we should wait before we start trying for one?"

"It's okay, Inuyasha," she smiled at him. "I'm safe today."

"'Safe'?" he tilted his head, confused once again.

Kagome nearly forgot that it was the feudal era and that there was really no such thing as health class. Heck, there was hardly even a school around here! She had to remind herself that Inuyasha had a very limited understanding when it came to topics concerning sex.

"Basically, there's one day every month that I can have sex without any protection and not get pregnant," she explained. "It varies from month to month, but if I keep track of everything correctly, it's highly unlikely that anything… unexpected will happen."

"Huh. Is it like that for all women?"

"Yeah. Just think of it like when you turn completely human once every month," she tried to make a comparison. It probably wasn't the best one, but it was the closest thing he could relate to.

"Except I have the moon to go by. You kind of have to guess."

"It's not _that _complicated," she rolled her eyes as she smiled at him, stroking his face. "Besides, I think you're stalling."

"St-stalling?!" he stuttered. "I'm not stalling!"

"Shh," she gently put a finger to his lips to silence his protest. "I don't want to argue right now."

She planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don't you know how long I've wanted this night to finally be real?" she lowered her voice to just barely above a whisper.

"I've wanted it to be real, too," he actually whispered, caressing her face in return as he gave her a kiss of his own.

"Then show me, Inuyasha," she pleaded. "Show me that you've wanted it as much as I have."

"All right. But you have to promise to tell me if I'm hurting you," he gave her his ultimatum.

"Okay," she nodded. "I promise."

Comfortable with her agreeable response, he cupped her face and closed his eyes to kiss her. She closed her eyes as well and kissed him back, starting off the beautiful night she'd wanted to share with him for months now. Her arms moved back behind his neck to wrap around it. One of her hands caressed the back of his head as her mouth moved in a steady rhythm against his, her fingers playing with strands of his hair.

She licked his lower lip and he parted them almost immediately for her tongue to enter his mouth. She curled and thrust her tongue inside of his mouth, seeking his out. He groaned when he felt their tongues meet and she let out a moan of her own in response.

Before Inuyasha, Kagome never had a boyfriend. Hojo didn't really count, because she felt that even though she was somewhat attracted to him, he got her some nice gifts and took her out on some dates just because he felt bad for her numerous medical problems (which were all completely fake to cover for the days on end she would miss school due to her travels to the Warring States Era, but not that he knew that). Since that very first time Inuyasha kissed her, Kagome never wanted to feel anyone else kiss her but him.

On the other hand, Inuyasha _had _kissed another woman before Kagome, but he preferred kissing her much more than Kikyo. He would be lying if he told himself or anyone else that he didn't love her anymore. Truthfully, a part of him still _did_ love her and he supposed it always would. Of course, the rest of his heart belonged to Kagome and her only.

Continuing to kiss each other, one of Inuyasha's hands went to Kagome's right hip as his other brushed aside the hair covering the left side of her neck. He stopped kissing her so he could move in on it. His hands were set at her hips as he trailed feathery kisses up and down her neck.

"Inuyasha," she murmured his name as his lips caressed her soft skin. Her arms tightened around his neck in response and she laid her forehead on his left shoulder.

Wanting to taste her skin, he ran his tongue over her pulse point and the rest of her neck before he began sucking on it. She softly moaned at the feel of her skin being pulled between his warm lips and his breath tickling her. Kagome knew she wouldn't be able to stand up much longer with him making her feel this way, so she decided to fight back by bringing her shaking hands up to his ears and rubbing them with her thumbs and index fingers. He instantly stopped sucking on her neck to draw away and let out a growl of pleasure.

Most people who had ever met Inuyasha were usually curious about his dog-like ears and felt the need to touch them, which tended to irritate him. He wasn't just some cat looking for a head scratch! But the way Kagome slowly massaged his soft ears with her hot, tender fingers made his whole body tremble and break out in goosebumps. He loved feeling her warm, tender fingers massage one of the most sensitive parts of his body.

"You like that?" she asked, curious to discover his reaction to what she was doing.

"Yeah…" he murmured in pleasure, his eyes closed and lips slightly parted.

She smiled, knowing this was something she could do for him more often, whether they were making love or not. Inuyasha endured it for a while, simply standing there and allowing Kagome to rub his ears at her own leisure. He went back to her yearning lips and kissed her while she ran her fingertips over his dog ears.

When it became too much for him and he wanted to get back at her for massaging his ears, he decided to touch a sensitive part of her own and brought his hands to her hips. Still kissing her deeply, he untied her _obi _to slip his hands in between the folds of her _hitoe_. Not stopping, he slipped them past her second layer of clothing, her _kosode_, to touch her bare chest. She sighed against his lips, thinking she knew what he was going to do next.

Her thoughts turned out to be correct; he slipped his hands a little lower to pleat her garments further apart, giving him more access to her chest. One hand held her _hitoe_ and _kosode_ to the side while the other slowly traveled upwards. He cupped his hand around her bare breast and they both moaned. He looked at her for permission, not knowing if she truly enjoyed it or not. His touch was one of strong desire and curiosity, but also shyness. She simply nodded, even as a blush painted its way across her face.

He resumed kissing her as his right hand massaged her left breast, cupping, squeezing, and circling. She felt him smile against her lips when she purred through her mouth and into his own. Not only did he enjoy touching her like this, but he also enjoyed the pleasure it gave her and the way it made her feel. He felt her nipple harden under his palm and brushed the pad of his thumb back and forth over it. Her purring was much louder and lasted longer this time.

Several torturous minutes later, he switched to her right breast with his left hand to give it the same treatment as his right hand held her garments open. Still purring and struggling to kiss him without making it sloppy due to her current lack of coordination, she gripped his collar tight to pull him even closer to her. He kept caressing her breast as his lips melded with hers.

She couldn't take it any longer. She felt her knees grow weak and her body started to head for the floor. Without stopping what he was doing, Inuyasha gently lowered Kagome to the ground with his left arm and got on top of her, never leaving her lips. He continued the kiss as he removed Kagome's _hitoe _and _kosode_ from her torso, setting them aside.

Inuyasha bent his head down to close his lips around one of Kagome's hardened nipples and suckle it. Her soft purring resumed and only continued to grow when one of his hands cupped her other breast and fondled it. Her back arched into his touch, pushing her breast further into his hand. He gave it a light squeeze while suckling her other breast. She left his lips to let out a lustful moan. He barely gave her time to recover, though, as he captured her open lips with his own.

Kagome's hands went to Inuyasha's _kosode _to remove it, wanting to feel his toned chest. He helped her get it off and he tossed it somewhere in the darkness, not particularly caring where in the hut it landed. Inuyasha went back to Kagome's breasts, only this time he switched off to give them equal treatment. He removed his head from her breast to embrace her and pull her towards him. They both let out a moan of pleasure when they felt their bare chests flush against each other; Kagome's breasts and nipples pushing against Inuyasha's chest, while Inuyasha's hard muscles were right on her breasts.

Loving the feel, Kagome closed the already small distance between them with a passionate kiss, running her fingers through his hair as he returned the embrace around her back. He lowered them back to the floor and proceeded to remove the remainder of Kagome's clothes, including her _nagabakama_. She sat up, her face a dark red from embarrassment, and pulled off the garments that covered the lower half of Inuyasha's body.

Also blushing, he positioned himself on top of her to kiss her and fondle her breasts for a while, not quite wanting to get to the final act just yet. She moaned in delight and reached below for his member, taking it in her hand and firmly grasping it. Inuyasha let out a sharp growl of pleasure. Kagome was frightened for only a half-second, thinking that either she'd somehow hurt him or he didn't like it. But when she saw and heard his reactions, she realized she was mistaken and moved her hand up and down his stiffened shaft, provoking another series of moans and growls from him.

He let her continue her petting until he felt that he was dangerously close to pre-maturely ending the night (at least, for a while), at which point he covered her hand with his own to silently warn her to stop. She gave him a small smile and kissed him as she removed her hand from him. He kissed her back and moved a hand down to her core.

He encouraged her to part her legs and he slipped a finger inside of her. She moaned as her back arched and he began moving his finger back and forth inside of her. He slipped a second one in and kept pumping his fingers as his thumb found a particularly sensitive spot just above her core and her rubbed it, provoking another series of moans from her. Among these verbal sounds of pleasure was his name.

Inuyasha kept at it until he felt Kagome was ready to receive him. He withdrew his fingers from inside of her and licked at them, tasting her on himself. Setting himself up for the last move, he got on top of her and looked down at her passion-flushed face for an answer to his silent question, to which she nodded. Inuyasha slowly entered Kagome, officially breaking the last barrier between them.

He let out a low groan and closed his eyes. On the other hand, she cried out and dug her fingernails into his back as she felt intense pain mixed with a bit of pleasure. Concerned for her well-being, he took a quick glance down at her pained expression and checked in on her. "You all right?" he asked.

"It- it hurts, Inuyasha," she struggled to get out. "But it feels really good at the same time."

"You want me to stop?"

"No. Please, keep going," she pleaded.

He simply nodded and pulled back a little before entering her again. Her reaction was similar to the last one, except with less pain and more pleasure. He did it again, then again, then again, then again. Soon, she became accustomed to him being inside of her and was begging for more. Inuyasha settled his hands on her hips as he began to thrust with greater speed and force. In return, Kagome dug her fingers into his back to hold on. She moaned out his name as he moved back and forth inside of her, loving every second of it. Likewise, he groaned out hers as his thrusts gradually became more powerful.

Both lovers were caught up in a rhythm of ancient sorts. They moaned and panted louder and heavier as their final act of lovemaking threatened to bring them over the edge. As Inuyasha felt his climax nearing, he grunted out a warning to Kagome that would have been unintelligible to most, but she understood what he was trying to tell him. He felt her walls clamp down on him and nearly blacked out from the ensuing pleasure.

She climaxed right before he did, but when he felt her give way and release around him, he was driven to join her. He bucked inside her as he filled her with his warm seed and collapsed on top of her. She caressed his back and kissed his forehead as he recovered, his breathing becoming less erratic and not moving around as much. Using the last of his remaining strength, he raised his head to look at her face, which was forming a smile of satisfaction.

"I love you," he managed to get out.

"Love you, too," she stroked his hair, looking passionately into his eyes.

They shared one final kiss for the night as Inuyasha withdrew from Kagome and got on his side to sleep. He helped her get on her side as well and spooned up behind her, draping an arm over her shoulder and running his free hand up and down her spine. She took the hand over her shoulder in her own and kissed it before closing her eyes. Within a minute, the newlyweds were asleep in each other's arms in their dwelling.

* * *

**That's the lemon. I may go back and edit it to make it longer and juicier (no pun intended), but it seems all right to me for the time being. Hoped you liked it and enjoy it as much as the other ones throughout the fic as we get deeper and deeper in the story.**

**Quick note: I didn't include any Japanese terms for Inuyasha's jacket and pants, since it's not completely clear on what style they are, what period/era they're from, etc., and I wanted to avoid making any false statements.**

* * *

**Japanese vocab:**

**_obi- _Belt that holds kimono together**

**_hitoe- _Jacket worn with kimono**

**_kosode- _White undershirt worn before _hitoe _in a kimono**

**_nagabakama-_ Long _hakama _(pants), kind of like a big skirt**


	7. MY APOLOGY

Well, I don't quite know how to say this, but... I can't continue this story anymore. I just hate the way I've written it, I think the plot's stupid, and I hate the fact that it's taken me this long to update. I'm VERY sorry for leading you guys on like this and getting your hopes up about this story. It was a HUGE mistake and I NEVER should have started it. You have every right to unfavorite/unsubscribe to me/this story and everything else I've written. I completely understand if you do. I will, however, be writing more Inuyasha-based stories, so if you aren't too angry at me by that point, feel free to check them out. And I swear to God on my life that I will FINISH EVERY SINGLE ONE! Once again, I know my apologies can't cover for this whole mess I've created, but I'm going to apologize again anyway and just say... I'm sorry. Thank you for your time and enjoying this half-assed fic while it lasted. ;)


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